Distance
by Kamira
Summary: Years since the sealing of Asura, Soul and Maka have fallen into a comfortable rhythm in life and with each other. Until their imminent graduation from the DWMA threatens to disrupt everything they'd thought secure. They're forced to confront their pasts and travel unexpected paths. Even as a new threat manifests itself closer than expected.
1. Chapter 1: Denial and Devotion

Obviously, I don't own Soul Eater. Does anyone actually think people posting fanfiction own the characters or world they are writing about?

Reviews are appreciated.

Follows and Favorites are fantastic too.

HUGE, like seriously big big big, Thank you to Professor Maka for offering to Beta for me and being willing to help me fix previously posted chapters.

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Chapter 1: Denial and Devotion.

Maka moved hastily around her room, pulling on her signature plaid pleated skirt and button-down top while simultaneously stepping over and around binders and textbooks which lay haphazardly scattered around the room. It was the beginning of June and the first day of the DWMA Final Exams Week, so Maka Albarn had spent all weekend in full study mode. She had a series of exams to ace; there was no way she would let Ox beat her on the last exams of her time at the DWMA. Some things never changed. With agile fingers, she deftly braided her long hair and took one last look in her bedroom mirror to ensure that she was properly attired before she headed down the hall to Soul's room.

As Maka approached Soul's door, she heard the sound of an alarm clock, followed by the tell-tale crash of it bouncing off the wall. She'd long ago given up hope that they would get their damage deposit back.

The clock shaped indent in the wall pretty much guaranteed that.

"Soul! Wake up!"

His reply was indiscernible mutterings from the other side of his closed door. Maka sighed and headed back to the kitchen to start on breakfast.

This was their morning routine. She would get up early and be ready to leave even before Soul's alarm rang. She would then reinforce said alarm by waking him up herself and proceed to make breakfast. While they shared the responsibility of making dinner, expecting Soul to make breakfast had proven to be unrealistic, to say the least.

Over the last two years, life had fallen into a practiced routine. After Crona's sealing of Asura on the moon and the tenuous truce with the witches, the world had calmed down considerably. There were still pre-kishins that would arise, but after fighting Asura, they were all fairly routine. Especially when wielding a Death Scythe. Speaking of said Death Scythe, he still had not emerged from his room.

"Come on lazy bones! Get up! We're going to be late!" Maka hollered, banging on his bedroom door. "I'll 'Maka Chop' you if you don't hurr-" She was cut off by the door being swung open, revealing a very groggy and very shirtless Soul. Whose well-toned chest was approximately 4 inches from her face.

"Fuck Maka, alright!" he cursed. "What? Are you worried they'll expel you two weeks from graduation if you show up late once?"

"That's not the point!" Maka growled, but she could feel her face warming and she hoped Soul assumed it was due to irritation.

If he noticed, he didn't mention it as he moved past her, calling a casual, "Whatever" before disappearing into the bathroom.

Maka headed back to the stove, mentally scolding herself for her momentary slip, taking some deep breaths to chase the flush from her skin. She'd cared for Soul, even loved him, for a very long time, possibly even before they met Blair. It had always been a platonic kind of love, based on respect, trust and friendship. The kind of close bond that all good Meister-Weapon partners shared.

While she had recognized that he was a good looking boy, the "fan club" made that crystal clear, she had not been attracted to him. In hindsight, that was probably because she hadn't allowed herself to consider it. She'd been focused on her goals; turning Soul into a Death Scythe, finding Crona, defeating the Kishin, and surviving all of the above. It wasn't until things calmed down that she began to notice things, like how at some point he'd grown from a boy into something almost a man.

He had gotten taller, significantly taller. When he bothered to stand at his full height, he was eye to eye with Professor Stein. His face had changed, too. His jawline and cheekbones more defined. He'd also matured mentally. With everything they had been through during the War with Asura, that only made sense.

They spent almost every waking hour together, and even so, she found herself coming up with reasons to sit on the couch in the evenings with him, even going so far as buying a little book light so that she could read while he was watching TV. She caught herself blushing when he would smile at her or complement her on her cooking. When she wasn't careful, her mind would wander to how it might feel to kiss him, how much she would like to run her hands through his hair, or do both at the same time.

There her mind went, wandering off again. Her face was heating up, so she restarted her ritual of calming breaths to force it to cool. She'd realized that, at some point, her feelings had crossed over from loving her partner as a close friend to being "in love" with him.

That was definitely not a good thing.

She knew he loved her (some things were impossible to hide during resonance) but Maka was sure it was as a close friend-the same way she had loved him, before her traitorous heart had decided to want more. He'd never shown any romantic interest in her.

When she had first started to receive a smattering of partner requests and the occasional love note, she had entertained fantasies that he would steal them, delete them from the answering machine, do something to show that maybe he cared about her as more than just a friend, but he didn't. He dutifully handed her any notes that he happened across and called her over to listen to the answering machine when the message was for her instead of him. It was flattering to know that other members of the DWMA were finally noticing her, but she had gently turned down all potential weapons and dates, not interested in either.

She used to wish Soul would just up and kiss her, or confess his undying love like in some cheesy romance novel. They lived together; there was plenty of opportunities. But none of these things happened. He never crossed the line between close friends and something more. Eventually, she'd accepted that he never would, but maybe that was a good thing.

She had seen how bad a partnership turned romance could end. Her parents' disastrous marriage was a prime example. Her Mama's tolerance of her Papa's cheating that had gone on for years still confused her. When the marriage finally ended, her Mama had felt the need to leave Death City, and years later she had yet to return. Not that she believed Soul capable of the kind of behaviour her Papa exhibited. He had proven himself worthy of her trust more times than she could count. Through years of personal analysis, Maka had simply come to the conclusion that it would end badly when a Meister/Weapon team became romantically involved.

Soul had been her best friend since they were twelve years old. Over time, born from years of living and fighting together, they had begun to share an easy sort of casual intimacy. It was not unusual for them to spend their evenings sitting on the couch together, with her feet on his lap or his arm around her shoulder. She cherished how comfortable they were with each other now and she wouldn't do anything to put that in jeopardy. The likely outcome of any poorly conceived confession of love on her part would be his gentle rejection of her and a destruction of that sense of ease between them. This would undoubtedly strain their friendship and possibly their partnership.

No, she'd long ago resigned herself to enjoying what she had, to attempt to attain 'more' just wasn't worth the risk.

* * *

Soul stood in the bathroom violently brushing his teeth, staring at himself in the mirror. He had noticed a shift in Maka when he'd opened his door, but was pretty sure it was due to the scar that stretched across his chest. She'd always been weird about the scar.

He'd been enjoying the relative peace that had descended since Kid had taken over as Lord Death. Spartoi had been disbanded, no longer necessary. Missions had been a breeze. He'd barely needed to use his keyboard while in battle, and hadn't set foot in the Blackroom once. Even the Little Demon had remained silent, for now at least. Maka, being her awesome self, was able to defeat most opponents quickly, other than the ones who dragged things out by running, but that only delayed the inevitable. When Two Star Scythe Meister Maka Albarn decided to take a soul, it was just a matter of time.

The growl from his stomach derailed any further musings. Upon exiting the bathroom, he was greeted with the smell of fresh coffee, bacon, fried eggs, and toast. He quickly used the back of his hand to wipe the trail of drool that had manifested itself at the corner of his mouth.

Making his way to his room to get dressed, he took a moment to admire his Meister as she moved around their small kitchen. She'd braided her hair, which meant that Maka was all business today. Did he forget a test? She'd finally given up the pigtails after some weak pre-kishin asshole had managed to grab one and nearly took off a chunk of her scalp. Dressed in her normal school outfit, minus her combat boots, her bare feet padded softly as she moved around the kitchen, grabbing mugs for coffee with one hand and plates with the other, using her shoulder to close the cupboard door. His eyes travelled up her bare legs. She'd gotten a little taller over the last few years and her already impossibly long legs had only gotten longer. She had soft curves now, although they were usually hidden beneath loose fitting clothing. He was distracted by the way her skirt swayed around her hips with every step and how her breasts became more prominent when she stretched to reach something off the top shelf. His Meister could be very distracting.

He wasn't sure when it happened, and he couldn't be bothered to figure it out, but at some point, he'd fallen for her. Her friendliness and unwavering faith in him probably played a role, compounded by her general badass-ness in a fight. He never stood a chance; he was in love with her.

He knew she loved him too, some things were impossible to hide during resonance. What kind of love, he couldn't be sure, and testing the waters was a dangerous proposition. He knew Maka; when it came to relationships, she had baggage (two large suitcases' worth) one devoted to her pervy womanizing Dad and the other devoted to her absentee Mother. He took solace that while Maka hadn't shown an interest in a relationship with him, at nearly 18, she hadn't shown interest in a relationship with anyone.

Around the time he had noticed her curves, apparently the male half of the DWMA student population had, too. She'd started to receive partner requests, love notes, and annoyingly sappy messages on their answering machine.

He'd considered hiding the notes, deleting the messages, but she never did that with the ones that were addressed to him. He wouldn't steal from her, he wasn't an asshole, but he wasn't a pushover either. He wouldn't let some random jerk screw around with her and possibly put her off relationships forever.

He'd managed to convey her unavailability through his constant presence at her side, justified by the fact that he was her Weapon, after all. When some guy's eyes would linger, he would reinforce the sentiment through a cold stare or dark look, maintaining eye contact until they looked away. For the few that wouldn't take the hint, he would covertly phase a blade from his forearm, clearly conveying that he was her weapon, The Last Death Scythe, and she was his to protect.

With the perverts and assholes sufficiently discouraged, he'd decided to be patient. He would wait for her to give him a clear sign. She was the braver of the two of them; he was sure she would make a move if she was interested. Until then, they were comfortable enough with each other that he got to enjoy some physical contact with her. He just had to be careful not to cross any boundaries since he didn't want to freak her out. With things in the world calming down, he had time. They were partners; he got to spend most of his waking hours with her. When she was ready, he'd be there. No need to try and rush things.

With this much patience and restraint, he could be forgiven for occasionally taking some time to admire her long graceful legs and the cute way her brow would furrow when she was annoyed. That was totally acceptable.

Except when she caught him…like right now.

"Earth to Soul! This is ground control! Snap out of it, space cadet, and go get dressed. Breakfast is ready." He managed to give her one of his trademark grins before retreating to his room.


	2. Chapter 2: Contests and Contentment

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Chapter 2: Contests and Contentment

She was situated on the back of Soul's gaudy yellow and orange bike, holding on for dear life as they careened through the narrow alleys and walkways of Death City. Most days, she enjoyed riding with him, taking the opportunity to wrap her arms around his waist, and indulge smell of his leather jacket. So, this morning when they had been running late and he'd offered to take them on his bike to make up some time, she had readily agreed. As he made a hairpin turn at breakneck speed, she was regretting her decision while contemplating her escape route.

' _Swing leg over back of bike, brace both feet and launch self towards anywhere that looks like it will make a soft landing. Use stupid Weapon partner's head as launch point if necessary.'_

It was hard to tell with the wind in her ears and the bumpy ride down the cobblestone path, but she was pretty sure he was laughing.

Soul, meanwhile, was having way too much fun. He'd just tuned up his bike and it was purring. He hadn't meant to drive like a maniac all the way to school, he'd just wanted to check out how it accelerated when they'd pulled out of the apartment parking lot. The feel of Maka's arms tightening around him and the way she'd pressed herself into his back had changed that. As he accelerated up the pedestrian walkway he couldn't help but laugh at the way she clung on even tighter.

They arrived at the campus just as the bell was sounding. She practically launched herself off the back of the bike so she could properly glare at him as he shut it off.

"See? Not late" he casually remarked, engaging the kick stand. Ignoring the fact that they were supposed to be physically in class now.

"Eater, you are so lucky that the History of the Soul final is this afternoon and not this morning," she growled, while jogging up the steps towards the building.

"Wait, that's today?"

She stopped and gaped at him, "Yes that's today, I've been studying all weekend. What did you think I was doing?"

"You always have your nose buried in a book. How was I supposed to know you were studying?" He shrugged, catching up to her on the steps.

"Didn't you look at the exam schedule that was posted last week?"

"Yeah, the finals start next Monday."

"No, THIS Monday! Today! Soul, have you studied at all?" At least, he had the sense to look sheepish as he shrugged.

' _I will not chop him, I will not chop him_.' She had been trying really hard lately to control her temper and not resort to "The Maka Chop". Today was looking like it was going to test her resolve. "Fine! We'll study at lunch. Let's get to Phys Ed already."

* * *

Maka was pissed. She was going to have to spend her lunch hour in Soul Resonance with her partner while speed reading her notes. They had discovered this trick when she had insisted on them testing their Soul Resonance endurance, they had been at it for a few hours when she'd decided to test her focus by reading one of her textbooks. Soul had described the feeling as having the information 'beamed directly into his brain'. They'd used this method to study in the past. It allowed him to cover more material because she could read faster than him and he seemed to retain it better then when he was trying to study on his own. Maka suspected it had more to do with him being forced to focus than anything else.

She didn't mind helping him study. The DWMA used a complex algorithm to combine Meister and Weapon team grades and a bad final grade for him would pull hers down as well. But she was not impressed with the fact that he hadn't studied at all. She'd worked hard on studying this weekend and she would have rather had a relaxing lunch.

They had arrived nearly 15 minutes late to Phys Ed class. Nygus had reprimanded them, saying that just because it was the last class didn't give them the right to show up whenever they felt like it. The saving grace of the day was that because it was the last class today they were having a sparring tournament to determine who was the best at unarmed hand to hand combat. The gym floor was completely covered in foam matting and extra faculty had been called in to help referee the matches, even Kid had showed up to observe.

After spending the weekend cooped up in her room and the aggravating morning with Soul, she was looking forward to working off some aggression. That was probably how she managed to work her way to the final round while barely breaking a sweat.

In the final round, she was facing Patti, no surprise there. Patti would pose a challenge. She was a weapon and as such more physiologically durable than herself. Sparring with Patti was like fighting a wild animal if that wild animal had crazy eyes and laughed the entire time. She was fast and unpredictable. That's how she had bested Soul in the prior round. Soul was almost methodical in his fighting style. He analyzed and strategized. It made them a good team. When they fought together, he was able to think things through because she was paying attention to dodging and attacking in the moment. Against Patti, his deliberateness had allowed her to blindside him.

The class was gathered around at a "safe distance". Soul smiled at her, a look that conveyed his confidence in her abilities. Kid was silent as he stood next to Liz who was obnoxiously hooting, "Kick her ass, Patti!".

Maka made sure that her braid was still securely coiled at her neck. Patti could be ruthless when she was pushed and wasn't above hair pulling. The pair faced each other in the center of the circle and Maka inclined her head slightly. A gesture that Patti reciprocated. Nygus announced the start of the match.

Patti charged at her, all crazy eyes and maniacal laughter, swinging a fist towards her face. Maka deflected the blow with one arm and brought the other arm across, grabbing Patti by her upper arm intending to flip the still laughing girl. Maka was momentarily distracted by her Soul Perception pinging off a pair of familiar souls. She saw the foot headed for her ribs at the last second, releasing Patti and spinning to deflect most of the force of the blow. They landed facing each other and attacked simultaneously, exchanging blows, both landing some but mostly deflecting. All the while, they increased the speed of their moves trying to outpace each other. Maka managed to finally land a solid kick, forcing Patti back and rushed her.

This was the trick to fighting Patti, don't think too much. Meet her manic ferocity head on. Patti attempted to slow her with a right hook, but Maka caught it and swung her own right hook back at her. When Patti raised her free arm to block, Maka grabbed it as well. She had her now. Without slowing, Maka leaped up, flipping so that she was momentarily looking down at the weapon's upturned face, matching Patti's crazy eyes with her own insanity inspired grin before finishing the rotation using the momentum to toss her. As she bounced across the padded gym floor Maka pursued. Patti could be a dirty fighter and Maka needed to make sure she didn't get a chance to catch her breath and regroup.

She wasn't fast enough. Before Maka could catch up, Patti was already on her feet. Maka transferred the momentum of her run into a kick aimed at Patti's ribs. Patti dodged, grabbing Maka's ankle and slamming her into the mat, hard. Maka gasped, opening her eyes just in time to see Patti's fist coming straight for her face. She rolled away. The sound of Patti's fist impacting the mat next to her head told Maka that that had been no sparring blow.

Maka was crouched a short distance from Patti, reassessing the situation. Patti's fist was still deeply pressed into the mat where her head had been. The tone of the match had changed. Gone were the crazy eyes and maniacal laughter. Patti's jaw was locked, eyes cold and calculating. This was Patti at her deadliest. The side of her that had allowed her to survive in Brooklyn. Maka had pushed her and Patti had responded. She'd need to be more careful now. This Patti didn't hold back. Chancing a quick glance past Patti to assess her surroundings, Maka realized how far they had ended up from where they had started. The rest of the class stood frozen, as if in shock, gaping at them. Nygus was only now crossing the length of the gym, Soul, Liz, and Kid a few steps behind her. For now, she was on her own.

In her moment of distraction, Maka barely saw Patti as she swung her leg down, intent on driving her heel into Maka's shoulder. Maka used her crouched position to spring backward, standing just in time to dodge a series of punches. Between blocks, Maka countered, striking out at Patti's face and stomach. Maka landed more than a few hits while deflecting all of Patti's, but it didn't slow the other girl. Her relentless attacks were forcing her back towards the wall. The intent was clear, trap her against the wall where she wouldn't be able to effectively dodge. Maka could try and redirect the fight now, but that would only drag things out. Patti was focused. Maka could probably punch her all day and never gain any ground. She needed an opening and some space to use a more forceful attack. She saw what she was looking for in Patti's overly square stance. Patti was a Weapon endowed with all the strength and durability that it entailed, but it also limited her combat experience.

Maka began to alternate her attacks and blocks using her speed to move excessively left and right with each one, allowing Patti to force her back towards the wall. Each time Maka moved, Patti would widen her stance intent on keeping the smaller girl trapped. When Maka's back hit the wall she was confused at the surge of fear she felt. This was all going according to plan after all. Patti loomed, fist pulled back to deliver a finishing blow, stance almost comically wide. Maka used the fear, letting it show on her face encouraging Patti to make her move. As Patti swung, Maka dropped, using the wall to propel herself between Patti's legs. On her way through, she kicked the back of Patti's knee, causing that leg to buckle and her to fall forward hitting her face on the wall where Maka had been. She took the opportunity to put some distance between her and Patti, leaping backward past Nygus, then Liz, Kid, and Soul, winking at her partner on the way by. The fear she had felt evaporated with Soul's approving grin.

When Patti faced her, Maka could tell her move had the desired effect. She was angry, but angry was infinitely better than cold and calculating. She'd won this match, now she just had to finish it. Maka let her insanity inspired grin from earlier slip back onto her face as Patti charged her. Maka stood her ground, grinning and completely still. Patti swung her fist at Maka who grabbed her wrist while simultaneously rotating and using all her own strength and Patti's momentum to throw her as hard as she could. She'd barely released her hold and she was already pursuing her, running as fast as she could. They sailed past the rest of the class and past the two familiar souls she'd recognized earlier, one letting out a loud cheer of her name as she charged by. She didn't spare them a glance, too intent on her opponent as Patti began tumbling to a stop on the opposite side of the gym from where they had just been.

This time, when Patti came to a stop on the mat, Maka was there, her clenched fist raised and ready, with Patti pinned to the floor beneath her.

"Uncle…you win." Patti gasped. Maka waited for Nygus to declare the winner, then remembered that they had effectively crossed the entire length of the gym in a matter of seconds. "Uncle! Maka come on get off me, I give up" Patti pouted.

Maka knew this ploy, the match was still active until Nygus declared a winner. "Say it louder Patti, so everyone can hear."

"No fair…" Patti pouted again, then the crazy eyes were back and Maka prepared herself for the attack.

"MAKA WINS!" Patti screamed so loud and so shrill that Maka swore she could feel her teeth vibrate in her skull.

From a distance she heard Nygus repeat the words and only then did Maka relax and stand, offering Patti her hand.

"You ok?" Maka asked, casting an assessing eye over her friend, checking for any permanent damage.

"I'm fine" she singsonged, taking Maka's hand. "It was fun, let's do it again."

"Patti, you are crazy," Maka laughed shaking her head, "Let's go say hi to BlackStar and Tsubaki"

"They're here?!" and she was off running wildly towards where the students had gathered around BlackStar, who was showing off his martial arts prowess while boasting to Kid. Tsubaki stood off to the side obviously engaged in conversation with Soul and Liz, breaking it off momentarily to send her a warm smile and a wave.

On her way to join the group, Maka was intercepted by Nygus.

"Congratulations Maka. You did great on your final exam. The top mark."

"Huh?"

"That was the final exam. You would have known this had you been on time" She sent Maka a meaningful look before walking away. Maka considered going after her to see how Soul had ranked, but was cut off by BlackStar casually swinging his arm over her shoulder, and ruffling her hair.

"You know the only reason you got the top mark was because you didn't have to fight the Great Bushin!"

"Too bad you were late then." She replied shrugging him off and heading over to where everyone was making plans for lunch.

This was the first time in months they'd all been together. Liz and Patti were often away from the DWMA with Kid. The world having a Lord Death that could actually travel meant that Kid was often away from the DWMA, speaking to different heads of state. The truce with the witches, the black moon and the coronation of a new Lord Death had caused a good amount of unrest that still lingered two years later. People, in general, were not good with change.

Black Star and Tsubaki were enrolled in a "Customized Academic Curriculum" because BlackStar had gotten too powerful and obnoxious to try and contain in a classroom. They were usually somewhere in the world training with different Meisters or Weapons. Tsubaki completed school work through correspondence and BlackStar just needed to be in the classroom during major exams to ensure a passing grade.

Maka and Soul had been offered a similar arrangement, but she'd declined. At the time, she had been wholly focused on trying to find a way help Crona and she didn't want to lose access to the DWMA's library. After months of research, Maka came to the conclusion that what she really needed was access to all of Medusa's research. Unfortunately, it had been destroyed in a fire that had consumed her research facility. She still held out hope that one day she would be able to help Crona, but for now, she had exhausted her resources. She did a good job hiding it, but her guilt ate at her whenever she looked at the night sky.

There were times she regretted not enrolling in the Customized Curriculum. Usually, when she witnessed how much BlackStar's skills had progressed. BlackStar, who was currently hovered three feet off the ground next to her, giving her his "I'm BlackStar and I'm awesome" grin.

"Jeez Maka, I think you shrunk while I was away. You're even tinier than I remember." He teased.

Maka rolled her eyes "I swear if you hover next to me during the test this afternoon I am going to Maka Chop you through the floor."

He laughed and landed on his feet in front of her. "You'd have to catch me first." He started jogging ahead, glancing over his shoulder at her an obvious indication that she was to try to catch him. Maka refused to rise to the bait. He'd probably just end up speeding up at the last second or hovering in the air out of her reach, and she didn't feel like looking like a fool today.

* * *

Soul made sure to find a nice tree to sit under, positioning himself so he was leaning against it with his legs stretched out in front of him. June in Nevada was scorching hot, but today there was a cool breeze and in the shade of the tree it was comfortable. Maka was in the cafeteria grabbing them some food for lunch. He hadn't planned this. He'd been sure the final exams started next week. He felt a little bad for having to skip out on their friends, but they had reassured that they were all planning on being in Death City for at least a few weeks this time. He wasn't that sorry though. A nice lunch spent in Soul Resonance with his Meister did sound pretty good.

He enjoyed resonating with her. After so many years as partners they were constantly in a low level of resonance, a constant effortless link existed between them giving him an instinctive awareness of her. He'd nicknamed it Maka-Dar. It was like having quiet background music playing. Maybe he couldn't hear every note and sometimes he'd forget it was there, but it was always there. When she'd get closer it was as if the music got closer without becoming louder.

They could increase the link by intentionally resonating, like when studying, it allowed him to hear what she was thinking and vice versa, although at times strong emotions would slip through. They could use it to have a conversation if they chose to, but didn't do it often as there was no way to filter what the other person heard. It did prove useful if they needed to be subtle. They had used it once to strategize when they came across a well-disguised pre-kishin at a very busy night market. Not wanting to tip off the target or the people around them, they had allowed the back of their hands to touch slightly, establishing higher resonance to form a plan of attack.

This paled in comparison to the extreme resonance rate that they engaged in during battle. When they battled, they were practically one soul in two bodies. He had access to her skills in Soul Perception, allowing him to use his dark keyboard to its full effectiveness. She was able to use him to channel her wavelength into killer blows, witch-hunter, genie-hunter those were all her, he was just the amplifier and conduit. While in battle he could hear her thoughts, feel her emotions, and keep track of any damage she took. He could tell if she was hurt and how bad, although she could often keep fighting long past the point he would think possible. She was one tough woman and she was on her way over.

Maka tossed a wax paper wrapped sandwich and a bottle of water at him before plunking down next to him. Her hair was loose and still a little damp from the showers.

"Ham and cheese, it's all they had that was easily portable."

"Thanks" He responded around a mouth full of half-chewed sandwich.

They ate lunch quickly in a comfortable silence. Once they'd finished she pulled out her stack of notes and shocked him by lying down on the grass resting her head on his thigh. She smiled up at him and explained that if she was going to spend her lunch helping him cram for a test she was, at least going to be comfortable doing it. He felt her wavelength brush against his and they slipped into resonance. She began reading her notes silently and he could hear her voice in his head. He focused, picking up on important points because her voice would "feel" stronger. When he didn't understand something she was answering his question before he could even form it. This was why he did better on tests when they studied this way.

After a few pages of notes, he was thrown off by a soft moan that rippled through his mind and abruptly realized he had started running his hands through her hair, gently dragging his fingernails across her scalp. He jerked his hand away, embarrassed, _'Shit, get it together Soul, she's not a cat.'_ Her voice giggled in his head and his embarrassment reached new levels when he realized he might as well have said that out loud.

' _Don't worry about it Soul….it's nice…you can keep doing it….if you want?'_

He noticed her decrease the resonance slightly, she was blushing and intently focused on the notes. He couldn't get too hung up on deciding if this was a good idea or not. She might be able to hear any internal debate. Her small smile confirmed that. Soul went with his first impulse which was to return his fingers to her scalp, increasing the link to where it had been. As Maka started reading again, he could faintly pick up a pleasant buzz of something he could only describe as contentment but he couldn't be sure if it was his or hers.


	3. Chapter 3: Defined and Distressed

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Reviews, favorites, and follows are appreciated.

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Chapter 3: Defined and Distressed.

Soul unlocked the apartment door, kicking off his shoes in the entryway as he headed for his room. On his way, he informed Maka that he was going to be listening to music for a while. The sun was shining on his bed and he idly wondered why Blair hadn't already commandeered the spot. As Blair spent most of her time away from the apartment these days, he didn't dwell on it. He put in his ear buds and turned up the music.

He had gone with Maka to the DWMA that morning to check their final grades. Well, Maka went to check her grades, and Soul had gone with her out of habit. After spending the last five days studying and writing one exam after another, they were finally done. Grades were posted; Maka was top of the class. In a week's time, he would suffer through the graduation ceremony and the day after that they would join the DWMA as official operatives. He and Maka would be posted somewhere in the world and start being paid an actual salary and not just the stipends that the DWMA gave to all their students.

He allowed his mind to flip through what he was planning to do with his increased in wages. _'I could get a new bike. Or maybe I should keep it and have bunch of custom work done to it. That`d be cool.'_

When he'd first enrolled at the DWMA, his parents had sent him money each month with instructions to spend the money on "maintaining a lifestyle suitable to the Evans Name", which translated to an oversized apartment and nice clothing. Even if their son was a Weapon and living on the other side of the country, he could not disgrace the family name by living and looking bellow his status. So, the first chance he got he bought the biggest gaudiest bike he could afford and sent them a picture of him on it.

He'd ignored their calls for a few weeks, finally receiving a letter threatening to "cut him off" if he didn't "smarten up". The next day, he made the excuse that he wanted to have a picture with Maka, "for their partnership". He sent the photo of him on his bike, with Maka sitting behind him in what was truthfully a completely innocent position, but his parents wouldn't see it like that. He hadn't heard from them since, which suited him just fine.

After Kid's inauguration, he had received a letter from his brother, explaining he'd seen his performance on TV and congratulating him on becoming a Death Scythe. Around that time, he had been required to update his emergency contact information after someone in registration pointed out that having his Meister as his only emergency contact was not practical. He'd listed Wes as his second option.

The sound of the phone ringing could be heard past the music, he didn't move to answer it.

A few minutes later Maka was knocking on his door.

"Hey" He greeted.

"Hey, Liz is on the phone she wants to know if we want to spend the weekend hanging out with them at Kid's place?"

"…all weekend?"

"I guess they want us to stay the night tonight, spend time together before graduation. Turns out Kid needs to go to New York on Monday and Liz and Patti are going with him. BlackStar and Tsubaki are already at the house."

He shrugged, "sure"

She gave him a wide grin and headed back to the phone. He could hear her talking to Liz, confirming that they would be heading over shortly, before hanging up.

"Pack a swimsuit" she called on her way down the hall.

* * *

The wind whistled past Maka's ears, buffeting her face, and making her eyes tear. She was stretched out over the length of Souls scythe form, trying to minimize wind resistance, as she urged him to fly faster.

"Maka! He's gaining!"

"Faster! We need to go faster" and she focused on the feeling of speed, pushing up their resonance rate, trying desperately to maintain their lead. "Just a little more! I will not let him win!"

She heard Soul chuckle at her through their resonance.

"Pay attention Soul!" she scolded "Where are they?"

"Still gaining" he replied.

She closed her eyes; she couldn't see anything the way her eyes were watering anyways. Using her Soul Perception she sought out their goal. Liz and Patti's souls glowed ahead of them.

"I can't keep my eyes open anymore, Soul can you…"

"I won't let us hit a tree," he reassured.

"Thanks Soul" She could feel the power of the resonating souls of their opponents closing in, nearly on top of them. She pushed their resonance higher again, "Come on Soul, faster!" She felt him respond and she dropped her forehead against him, and stretched herself out as much as possible. The souls of Patti and Liz were rushing at them. "Faster. Faster!" She chanted. They streaked between Liz and Patti, ahead of BlackStar and Tsubaki.

"Yes! " She cheered, that's one thing she had on the arrogant assassin, flight speed. It was probably the thrill of victory that caused her to not think through what she did next.

Straightening up, the force of the wind slammed into her, and before she could react she was wrenched off of Soul. They had slowed somewhat but were still traveling at an incredible rate. The world moved in slow motion as she watched the ground rush past her, their previous momentum still carrying her forward. 'I'm an idiot'.

There was a flash of light and she was pulled roughly against Soul, as he wrapped his now human form around her, one arm firmly around her back the other trying to protect her head from the inevitable impact. There was no way either of them were getting out of this unscathed.

Instead of the bone jarring ground, they met Kid's far more forgiving pool. Skimming across the surface for a second before, submerging and coming to a stop. His arms loosened and they disentangled from each other. The pair surfaced, gasping for air and coughing, wordlessly assessing each other. Each relieved to the find the other soggy but unharmed.

"That was stupid" he scowled at her

She grinned back "Yeah." She conceded, "I don't think we've ever gone that fast"

His scowl melted into a resigned smile, "yeah it was pretty cool." Soul looked at her warmly.

They were interrupted by the arrival of their friends. Kid in the lead inquiring as to if they were OK, with Liz and Patti following congratulating them on their victory and joking that if they wanted to go in the pool they could have just said so.

At the back of the group BlackStar was grumbling something to Tsubaki. Who was back in her human form, trying to placate him.

She was running on a high. The race, the win, and the near death experience had her endorphins pumping. She couldn't help herself. She hadn't been able to beat him at anything non academic since they were little kids.

"Looks like I'm faster than the great warrior!" she teased "Pretty sad day when you lose to me, Buuuushin." She drug out the last word saying it as sarcastically as she could.

His face darkened. She thought maybe she'd gone a little too far. He might have grown up but he still hated to lose.

"It's a dumb thing to be good at anyway only weaklings need to be good at running away!" he snapped.

"I'm not weak!" She defended.

"Yes you are, I always have to protect you during a fight!" He countered, sounding very much like the kid she'd grown up with. Her breath caught in her throat, the words hitting their mark and she was transported back to the fight with Asura and BlackStar's mangled arm and damaged spine he'd received protecting HER. If it wasn't for Kim's ability to heal, he probably would have lost the arm. "Next time you're in a fight why don't you just runaway, save me a lot of trouble"

Any good feelings she'd had about winning against him had vanished.I'm going to go get changed" she said being careful not to make eye contact with anyone as she climbed out of the pool.

"I'm going to go get changed," she said being careful not to make eye contact with anyone as she climbed out of the pool.

"Maka-chan, he doesn't mean it." Tsubaki called after her.

"Not cool man" She heard Soul add as she walked towards the house.

* * *

Maka took her time getting changed into dry clothes. She needed to collect herself before she faced everyone again.

She'd been having such a good day too. BlackStar had "invented" a bunch of new games, including, Combat Hide and Seek and Combat Basketball. Maka had really enjoyed Combat Basketball. The rules were simple get the ball in the net by any means possible. She had been on BlackStar's team and they had figured out that if she used him as a jumping off point she could clear everyone else and dunk the ball. They'd managed to work so well together that Patti was moved to the other team to help even the odds.

It had given her flashbacks of her childhood, spending her days with him, sneaking around the DWMA playing pranks and generally causing trouble. They were co-conspirators in "The Deadly Assassins Club" of which they were the only members.

Then they had to go and play Aerial Combat Tag, which had somehow ended up degrading into a race between them. A race she and Soul had handily won.

She probably shouldn't have gloated, but he didn't have to be such as ass about it either. She had a big enough complex about the guys in the group protecting her, without him calling her out on it. The worst part was that it was true, Soul, BlackStar, even Kid looked out for her in battle and she was rarely able to return the favor. She might have been the "leader" of their group but she certainly was never the strongest.

She sighed. She used her Soul Perception to locate everyone, before grabbing a book from her bag. She couldn't hide inside all day.

She found them at the pool; apparently she'd been gone awhile because they had all changed into their swimsuits. BlackStar was nowhere to be seen, and she wasn't about to go looking for him. Liz was tanning in one of the lounges on the pool deck. Patti, Kid and Tsubaki were goofing off in the pool. Soul sat on the edge with his legs in the water, he sent her a questioning look as she walked by but she just waved him off, not wanting to talk about it. He frowned at her but returned to watching Patti try to drown Kid. She planted herself under one of the trees that ringed the pool, intent on ignoring everyone and reading her book.

She was so immersed in her book she was momentarily startled when a shadow fell across her. She quickly identified the source, his soul was impossible to mistake, and she contemplated ignoring him.

When he just stood there not saying anything, her curiosity got the better of her. Maybe it was because she'd been feeling nostalgic today, but when she looked at him, and took in the barely perceptible way he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, she didn't see the aggravating 18 year old "Warrior God". All she saw was BlackStar at 5 years old being forced to apologize for breaking her bed when he had decided to show off how he could jump off her bookcase and do a flip. She felt the corners of her lips turn up in a smile, she couldn't be mad at him when he looked like that.

"Tsubaki's making you apologize, huh?"

He jumped when she spoke, but soon recovered, relaxing and grinning down at her, "and Soul." He supplied.

That was as close to an apology as could be expected so she scooted over slightly, patting the spot on the grass beside her, indicating he could sit. He accepted the invitation with gusto, flopping down next to her, lying in the grass with his arms folded behind his head sighing loudly. She went back to reading her book but was soon interrupted by his uncharacteristically quiet voice.

"Maka, how long have we known each other?" She was caught off guard; definitely not expecting him to say that. Maybe, he was feeling nostalgic too? Setting her book aside, she thought about the question.

"Forever." She answered, looking down at him. It was the truth; BlackStar was featured in some of her earliest memories.

"Hm…yeah" his brow furrowed in thought. She couldn't help but notice how he was acting very un-BlackStar like. "Remember The Deadly Assassins Club?" he grinned up at her.

"I was just thinking about that earlier today" She returned his smile.

His gaze shifted to the leaves of the tree above them and grew distant, as if he was remembering something. "You were pretty awesome back then, good at knowing how to get us out of trouble."

Shrugging she replied, "I had to be. You were always getting us caught."

"It's not my fault if people can't help but notice my greatness! I am a Bushin after all!"

She rolled her eyes. "You know I will never call you that right?"

"Why not?" he looked aghast.

She gave him a cheeky grin and checked to make sure no one else was within ear shot before leaning over and whispering.

"Because Bushins don't wet the bed during sleepovers"

His eyes widened in horror, "Hey! That was one time!", sitting up to see if anyone else had heard.

She giggled and couldn't help adding "Remember? We had to figure out how to use the washing machine in the middle of the night, because you didn't want my parents finding out"

Reassured that they hadn't been overheard he relaxed, lying back down, "And I found that huge box of cookies your mom tried to hide in the cupboard over the fridge." he added.

She groaned "Don't remind me. My stomach still hurts when I see Double Stuffed Oreos"

He laughed, "Your Mom was so pissed when she found the empty box."

"Yeah, that was her best hiding spot."

"It wasn't a very good one"

"I guess not. She should have known to padlock it."

"Ha! As if that could have stopped me!"

They both laughed before lapsing into an easy silence, watching their friends around the pool. It had been a long time since she'd had a real conversation with BlackStar like this. She'd missed it. They had been inseparable for years. He was her best friend but somewhere along the line that had changed.

"We were best friends when we were kids. What happened?" she couldn't help but ask, not really expecting BlackStar to have any more insight than she did.

He thought about it for a while, then he shrugged "You started to get all hung up on school and were always reading boring books and I was busy getting stronger to surpass God".

She nodded her agreement. She was 10 and he was 11 when they found out they would be accepted to the DWMA as Meisters. She dove headfirst into it. Reading, studying and training, determined to follow in her Mama's footsteps, and become a great Scythe Meister. He'd started training every day with Sid. That didn't leave a lot of time for playing. After a while, she had partnered with Soul and BlackStar with Tsubaki. Then they'd started spending time together again, but by that point "The Deadly Assassins Club" was long dissolved and they didn't know how to be friends with just each other anymore.

She was deep in thought when he blurted. "I didn't mean it."

"…What?" Did she miss something?

"What I said…you're not as awesome as me, but you're not weak." Oh they were going to talk about that, were they. She eyed his arm that had been so badly broken.

"Maybe not, but I need to get stronger. I don't like that you need to look out for me."

There was a long pause.

"I don't mind." He announced. When she looked at him, he had his face turned away from her.

"Huh?"

"Protecting you." He added. She could see his ear turning pink.

"BlackStar, are you blushing?" He sat up immediately. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen BlackStar blush and it totally derailed any other train of thought. She opened her mouth to bug him about it when he added.

"Well, you're like, my bossy boring sister." He said glancing at her. Her brain stuttered to a halt. When they were little she used to pretend he was her brother, having no siblings, he was the closest thing she had to one. She inclined her head to peek at his face. He really was blushing. He meant it.

"…You think of me as family?" she finally managed.

"Well…yeah. Shut up. It's not a big deal." She didn't think it was possible for him to get any redder, but he did, before he moved to stand up. She grabbed his wrist, pausing him, knowing that if he really wanted to leave he could. He relaxed after a moment and looked at her in a way that conveyed 'Let's get this over with'.

She took a moment to formulate her response, "So, does that make you my obnoxious arrogant brother?"

"Uh…yeah" he shrugged before adding a bold "Hell yeah!" apparently reassured by her response.

She hadn't realized how happy something like that would make her and she impulsively hugged him. He returned her hug with a quick one of his own before pulling away. She saw him cast a wary look at Soul before looking back at her.

He was giving her one of his arrogant, "I know everything' grins",

"So as your brother, it's my job to look out for you, so you don't have to feel bad about it" He decreed.

She couldn't help but smile back at him, "Ok, but I'm still going to get stronger. As your sister I'm your backup"

"Pfft, as if I ever need backup" He dismissed while smiling.

They sat watching their friends who were still playing in and around the pool. Liz and Soul stood at the edge of the pool talking with their backs to them. Tsubaki had taken over Liz's lounger. Patti stood at the top of the diving board with Kid, laughing at him, as he attempted to discern if the pool was symmetrical from that angle.

"Hey Sis"

"Yes Brother?" she reciprocated, surprised but happy with their new titles.

"What do you think of a two-pronged attack?"

Maka was confused for a second before recognizing the evil glint in his eye. He gestured meaningfully at their friends and she finally caught on.

"Ooooh….a revival of The Deadly Assassins Club?"

He grinned at her. She grinned back. Co-conspirators again. Her eyes swept over the scene, making her own assessment. "Ok, but do you think we'll have trouble with the sentry on the lounger." Tsubaki was peeking at them over her sunglasses, her eyes twinkling.

"Nah, she's cool"

"Ok, you take the high ground?" she tilted her head towards Kid and Patti.

"And you get the easy marks" Indicating Liz and Soul.

"Hey! They ARE both weapons and Soul has Maka-Dar."

"Maka-Dar?"

"Yeah, he's got this thing where he's able to sense where I am or something" BlackStar looked at her skeptically "He says it's a weapon thing." She shrugged.

BlackStar eyed Soul and shook his head and saying something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "worse than your Dad." Before adding more clearly, "So, do you want the high ground?"

Maka eyed the two perched on the diving board and had to admit she didn't think she was fast enough to pull it off.

"No, high ground's yours" she conceded,

"Ok, I got your back." He announced before standing pulling her up with him, she watched his features shift into 'battle mode'. Before they could move he asked her "Surprise or stealth?"

She thought about it for a moment, "stealth, THEN surprise. You'll give the signal?" she asked, emphasizing the last two words.

BlackStar eyes lit in understanding and he grinned at her before "casually" making his way around the side of the pool towards the base of the diving board, Maka creeping up behind Liz and Soul.

The newly fledged siblings made eye contact for a moment, before he screamed "THE DEADLY ASSASSINS ARE HERE FOR YOUR SOULS!" and in an incredible burst of speed BlackStar shot up the diving board ladder and shoved Kid and Patti into the pool. Maka simultaneously shoved Liz and Soul, intending to send them into the pool as well. But just has she'd worried, Soul wasn't caught off guard like Liz. He twisted around grabbing her wrist as he was falling, giving her an evil grin, intending to take her with him. Before he could succeed, an arm that felt like a band of steel, that could only belong to one person wrapped around her waist, and pulled her free. They both got to enjoy the dirty look Soul sent them before he hit the water.

"Nice catch" She winked at him. "Brother" she added quietly.

"Hey, I said I had your back" He responded, laughing uproariously.

Too bad they were too busy congratulating each other to notice Tsubaki behind them and for the second time that day Maka found herself fully clothed in Kid's pool.

* * *

The sun was low in the sky when the Meister and Weapon team arrived home to their little apartment. Maka was in an amazing mood. She had a brother. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that they had been acting as siblings since they were children. All they had done next to the pool was make it official between them.

She took great joy in the fact that whenever she would covertly call him brother, he would lightly blush and smile at her. Not an "I'm BlackStar and I'm a big star" smile, but a real genuine smile that she recognized from when they were kids. The revival of The Deadly Assassins Club had removed the wall that had been created by adolescence.

They had spent the weekend talking about when they were children and conspiring like they still were. Liz had nearly kicked them out Sunday morning after they had rearranged all of Kids carefully symmetrical candles and unfolded the corners on all the rolls of toilet paper overnight. BlackStar had laughed at Kid's meltdown but the sight of her near catatonic friend on the ground had made Maka feel guilty. Thinking over her childhood spent in cahoots with the boy, she realized for the first time that she was probably not an easy child and gained a new appreciation for both her parents. She needed to be more careful not to get swept up in the whirlwind that was BlackStar. He was her brother now, maybe she should try to be a positive influence on him and not allow him to be such a negative one on her. She would have to work on that.

Soul lay on the couch, absentmindedly flicking through channels on the TV, casting suspicious glances at Maka who was bouncing around the kitchen making dinner and smiling to herself. Not for the first time, he wondered what she and BlackStar had talked about at the pool.

The pair of Meisters had been practically inseparable afterwards. They'd spent a good amount of the weekend huddled together, talking in some sort of code, single words meaningful looks, exchanges that were sometimes punctuated by laughter, as if they had their own inside joke. That morning, when he woke up to find the freaking out Kid and discovered that Maka had helped BlackStar orchestrate the prank, he'd asked Tsubaki if she knew what was going on.

She'd smiled and said she didn't know, but was happy that the two of them were getting along so well. It was nice seeing Maka being happy and carefree. She carried the weight of the world on those slim shoulders and it was good to see the weight lifted for a while. A dark part of him, which sounded like the long silent Demon, whispered in his ear. _'Too bad it's BlackStar making her happy and not you.'_

Maka had mentioned in passing that BlackStar and her had been friends as kids, but maybe there was more to it. He'd never really considered BlackStar or Kid for that matter to be a potential concern. They were all friends and comrades. BlackStar usually drove Maka crazy; he was the only person, that he knew of, to receive a Maka Chop in the last six months. After this weekend, he was starting to worry that maybe Maka Chops were her twisted way of showing affection and had the sudden irrational urge to feel the spine of a book crack against his skull. This weekend, BlackStar had certainly seemed like he was interested in Maka, the way he would smile at her and blush. Maka had responded with her own affectionate smile, almost like they had a secret.

Then a voice that was definitely the Demon suggested _'Maybe they love each other. Childhood sweet hearts. It's very romantic. Don't you think?'_

' _Oh Death!'_ His eyes flew to Maka in the kitchen. She was humming a song, off-key. His "Maka isn't interested in dating" theory was crumbling before his eyes at the sight of his practically glowing Meister. Had he missed his opportunity? Was he going to have to tolerate BlackStar being with Maka? Doing 'stuff' with his Maka.

The Little Demon cackled. Soul felt nauseous.

His dark thoughts were interrupted by Maka's happy voice.

"Soul can you check the voice mails? The light's blinking."

"Why can't you do it?" he grouched, trying to cover.

"Because I'm cooking dinner." She snapped "Besides they're probably all for you."

"Fine." He rolled off the couch. Admittedly, yes they were most likely for him from members of the "fan club". Soul started to work his way through the backlog of voice mails. He only listened long enough to confirm, yes it was for him and yes it was a request to partner or date before hitting the delete button.

Most of these girls he didn't even know and they definitely didn't know him. They only saw "The Last Death Scythe" and the status the title apparently afforded him. He wasn't interested in another partner, never would be. With each message, he could see Maka's shoulders tensing up a little more. She had always been insecure about the partner requests and, for the thousandth time, he cursed BlackStar for writing their home number on the wall of the girl's bathroom.

' _He was trying to get you out of the way so he could have her all to himself.'_ The Demon sneered in his head.

' _OK, you can shut the fuck up now.'_

Maka was determined to keep her focus on stirring the pasta sauce on the stovetop. The partner requests were nothing new. They didn't even bother her anymore. After years of Soul politely declining and eventually just ignoring them, she felt confident that he wasn't in the market for a new Meister. He was her Weapon and she was his Meister and it was that relationship, partners and friends, which made the intermittent requests for dates so hard to listen to.

He'd never dated anyone that she knew of. If they weren't on a mission or training, he was usually lazing around the apartment with her. She had asked him once why he didn't accept any of the offers and he had replied with a casual "I'm not interested in any of those girls." She lived in fear of the day that their phone would ring and the girl on the other end would be one he was interested in. Despite her resolution to maintain what they had, she knew that seeing him with someone else would be devastating. But that wasn't his problem. Why shouldn't he be happy? After everything they had been through and everything he had done for her, he deserved to be happy.

Her vision was blurring and she resolutely swallowed her feelings. Reminding herself, _It's better this way. Better to have him as a friend and a partner than losing him altogether._

Warm hands landed gently on her shoulders. Soul sighed behind her and began using his thumbs to massage little circles across her shoulders, working the tension out of them. Every time Soul did this, she wondered if it was some subtle form of wavelength manipulation. It wasn't long before she was closing her eyes, letting her head tip forward, arms going limp at her sides.

Soul grinned. He had learned a while ago that with a simple shoulder massage he could take her from coiled spring to pliable putty in minutes. The contact had the added benefit of shutting the Demon up too.

Maybe he didn't know what was going on between her and BlackStar but he hated seeing her so rigid and clearly upset. All because some girls couldn't respect boundaries. He idly thought about taking out TV and Radio ads announcing "Soul 'Eater' Evans, the Last Death Scythe, already HAS a kickass partner, who he happens to be in love with, even if said partner is oblivious and possibly dating his best friend. Regardless, kindly FUCK OFF and stop calling OUR home and while you're at it stop approaching me at school and dropping scented 'partner requests' in my locker, you're not fooling anyone."

Yeah, that would be cool. Maybe a little wordy. He'd probably have to leave out the love part.

Soul felt a little more tension drain from her shoulders. He looked over her shoulder at the sauce, only lingering for a moment on the view he had of her cleavage, before he reached past her to turn the element down to low. He brushed her hair over her shoulder, enjoying the feeling of it sliding through his fingers, before he began to work the kinks out of her neck, earning a soft moan from the girl.

Yeah, very much in love, he mentally confirmed.

Even if she only considered him a friend, did she really still think he was just going to leave her? The only way he was leaving was if she told him to, but even then she'd better have a damn good reason.

"Maka, you know I'm not going anywhere, right?" Maybe she wouldn't understand the depth of the statement, but it felt good to say it.

Maka surfaced from the blissful haze "yeah, I know" It was times like these that she could almost allow herself to believe it. "You know you're way too good at this?" she added, leaning back into him.

"Yeah I know" he chuckled, returning his focus to her neck. "Tell me again why we don't just change our phone number."

She sighed deeply before reciting "Because this is the only number my Mama has for me."

He didn't reply, focused on the newly formed tension in her shoulders. He was working his way down her arms when her head tipped to the side. He had the sudden urge to kiss her neck. To discover if she tasted like she smelled. He let his mind wander. Would she like it? Would she let him kiss her again. If he got the chance he would definitely hickey her. Make it clear to the "fan girls" and anyone else that she was the only girl he was interested in.

Suddenly, the completely disturbing image of BlackStar with his arm draped around a hickey-sporting Maka arose from a dark corner of his mind. He froze.

"What's wrong?" She asked, impossible to miss how he'd suddenly gone tense.

"Nothing." He pushed the image out of his mind and resumed his work.

"Come on. Fess up." She wasn't letting him off the hook that easy.

"It's not important"

"Soul…"

Sighing, he decided it was probably better to just get this over with before his tenacious Meister put the screws to him. "I was just wondering what was with you and BlackStar this weekend?" Yeah that sounded cool. 'Casual.'

"Oh! I forgot to tell you!" she exclaimed, making him jump. She turned to look at him, her glow back full force.

 _Please don't tell me you're dating him while looking so fucking happy._ Soul mentally pleaded.

"He's my brother." She giggled then laughed because Soul's whole face had dropped. He stared at her, eyes bugged out, mouth hanging open, looking entirely uncool.

At her laughter, he snapped his mouth shut. That was not what he expected. He struggled to come up with something to say, but his brain was about five miles back from his mouth and still trying to catch up.

"Not biologically of course, but remember how I told you we were friends as little kids?"

He nodded mutely.

"When we were talking out at the pool, he confessed that he sorta sees me as a sister, well his words were 'bossy boring sister'" Soul smiled at that "I realized that he's been like my brother, my obnoxious arrogant brother, since we were kids."

 _So they aren't dating!_ Soul felt the release of tension he hadn't even realized he was carrying. She beamed at him, her soul humming warmly against his.

"I didn't know you two were so close."

"Yeah, we had The Deadly Assassin Club." She started assembling the pasta, pouring the sauce over the noodles for their late dinner.

"I thought I heard him yell something about that before someone pushed me in the pool."

She blushed, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. "Would you believe me if I told you I was a bit of a trouble maker as a kid?" Offering him his bowl.

He thought about it for a minute, smart, tough, a little reckless, stubborn, and BlackStar as a friend. "Yeah, I'd believe that." He took his bowl and sat down at the table. "So, what kind of trouble did you two get into?"

She spent dinner telling him stories about her childhood and the trouble she would get into. He was impressed by their exploits, especially the ones involving tormenting the then school nurse Medusa. They were lucky they didn't end up as snake food.

As she wished him good night and headed for her room, Soul couldn't help but wonder if he had grown up in Death City, would he have been allowed membership in The Deadly Assassins Club.


	4. Chapter 4: Presence and Perspective

So I had planned to have this posted a week ago, but it wasn't done yet. But hopefully, the fact that it's a huge chapter makes up for it.

We are starting to get into more of the plot now.

Reviews, favorites, and follows are always appreciated.

* * *

Chapter 4: Presence and Perspective

Soul was pulled from sleep by the sound of ringing. His alarm clock bounced against the far wall, but the ringing continued.

Grunting and sitting up at the side of the bed, he was finally awake enough to recognize the sound as the phone. As he shuffled his way out of his room towards the still irritatingly loud phone, he wondered why Maka hadn't answered it. The sound of the shower running answered that question. He lifted the receiver to his ear while scratching his head and yawning.

"Yeah?" It was way too early to be polite.

"Hello." An overly perky voice responded, "Is this Soul Eater?"

"Yeah" Just his luck, a fan girl at… 8 am, fuck. The first Monday in forever that they didn't have to be at school and some ditsy fan girl calls at the crack of dawn.

"It's been so long. How have you been?"

"Fine…?" now he was confused. Usually, the fangirls jumped right in with their requests.

"Well, obviously you've been good. Maka made you a Death Scythe! That's so exciting! I was so proud of you both when I heard. Are you still sharing the same apartment? Do you know what you're going to be doing after graduation? It's on Saturday, right? "

OK, what the hell!?

Now, fully awake, all his Weapon protective instincts were screaming at him that something wasn't right. He didn't recognize the voice. They knew entirely too much about them. They were way too nosy. "Who is this?!" he snapped.

The woman the other side of the phone paused then laughed, "Oh I'm sorry, this is Kami, Maka's mom."

He nearly dropped the phone.

He owed Maka an apology for all the times he'd spent trying to convince her they should get a new number. "Where are you?" he wasn't about to let the opportunity to ask THE question pass by.

"I'm just renting a car," she said as if that was supposed to make sense to him.

"…and you thought you'd give us a call?" he frowned.

"Yeah. I just landed in Vegas. I should be there in about 4 hours. What's the address again?"

Maka emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in her bathrobe, as a stunned Soul finished giving directions to their apartment. She looked at him questioningly.

"OK that's perfect, bye!" she chimed from the other side of the phone.

"Wait! Don't you want to talk to Maka?" Soul looked at his curious partner, who was mouthing 'who is it?' Before he could respond, the overly perky woman on the phone answered.

"No, my rental car is ready. Tell her I'll be there by one." And the line went dead.

"Soul?" Maka asked him approaching cautiously.

"uh…your Mom will be here by one." He relayed to his shocked Meister.

* * *

Maka opened the front door before her mama even had a chance to knock. She wrapped her in a fierce hug that was readily reciprocated.

"Hi Sweetie"

"Hi Mama"

Maka took the opportunity to memorize her mama's wavelength. The nagging fear of not being able to find her demanded it. They eventually released the hug and her mama stepped away, looking past her to address her partner.

"It's nice to see you again Soul" she grinned exuberantly as she held out her hand to shake his.

"Nice that you've decided to stop by, Ms. Albarn. What brings you to Death City?" Soul shook her hand, the picture of rigid courtesy.

"Please call me Kami." She instructed. "and I'm here for my job. I was recently hired as a liaison to the DWMA for a medical research company"

"Are you moving back?" Maka blurted out excitedly. Delighted at the prospect of her Mama living in Death City again.

"No, my job doesn't require frequent face to face interaction with the DWMA. I have a meeting with the new Lord Death on Friday to request permission for a research project." She answered brightly.

Maka attempted to hide her disappointment, grinding the conversation to a halt.

"What kind of research project requires permission from the DWMA?" Soul broke through the silence.

"The kind that involves Weapons and Meisters," she responded without missing a beat. "The company I work for wants to research the difference between how the general population and Weapons/Meisters form scar tissue. It's been noted that Weapons and Meisters frequently don't develop scars, even from serious wounds. The researchers want to determine if there is a way to extend that ability to average people."

Soul looked at Maka in her shorts and tank top, not a scar on her despite all her injuries over the years. In doing so, he caught her eyes drifting to his chest. He changed the subject quickly.

"Hungry? I can make something for lunch." So, it wasn't exactly smooth, but it got the job done.

Maka's line of sight moved away from his chest as she eyed him suspiciously "You're willingly cooking lunch?"

"No, I'm putting whatever we have in the kitchen between two slices of bread. Do you want some or not?" He grouched, trying to cover that he really had no idea what to make and sandwiches were always a safe bet.

"Sure. Mama would you like some?"

"Yes. Thank You" she beamed.

Soul headed to the kitchen as Maka led her mama to the living room.

"So you're graduating on Saturday?" her mama asked as they sat down next to each other on the couch.

"Yeah, I'm top of my class," she shared, unable to contain her pride.

"That's wonderful! I'm so proud of you.".

"Would you like to come? There's a big celebration that evening. There will be food and music. I know it's after your meeting with Kid...and Papa will be there..." Maka trailed off. She didn't want to assume that she would be staying after her meeting or that her mama would want to be anywhere near her papa.

"I'm sure your papa and I can get along just fine for an evening. I'd love to come."

"Great!" Some of Maka's concern was momentarily relieved. She would worry later about everything that could go wrong with her parents being in the same room.

"So what are your plans for after graduation?"

"We are going to join the DWMA as agents."

"Of course, you are. Obviously. How did your Evaluation go?"

"Our what?" Maka cocked her head.

"The Evaluation," she repeated. "The testing that potential agents go through."

"We had our final exams last week," Maka replied hesitantly, not sure what her mama was talking about.

"No. The Evaluation is different. Never mind." She waved her hand in the air as if she could physically shoo away the subject. "The DWMA must not do them anymore, you would have had one by now."

Soul entered the living room carrying a plate stacked with sandwiches. He set the plate on the coffee table and grabbed a sandwich before slouching in the chair adjacent to Maka.

Ms. Albarn took a few bites of her own food before addressing him. "Congratulations again! The Last Death Scythe, that's quite the title. When I was at the DWMA just being a Death Scythe got a Weapon a lot of attention. I would imagine you have quite the following."

"I guess." He shrugged, focusing on his lunch. He had the distinct impression she was evaluating his response.

She stared at him expectantly for a moment. When he didn't elaborate, she carried on as if nothing had happened, turning her attention back to Maka. "So Sweetie, what have you been up to since I left? I imagine you have some great stories. You did make this boy into a Death Scythe after all."

"That's a bit of a long story, we had to practically do it twice."

"I want to hear about everything." She leaned forward giving Maka her full attention.

"…everything?"

"yes everything! Right from the beginning." She focused intently on Maka.

Soul listened as Maka started to recount their missions having to explain how they lost their first 99 pre-kishin souls. She told her mother about Blair and how she had somehow been listed as a Witch when she was just a cat with an incredible amount of magical power.

Maka explained how they first met Stein. Telling her about the first time they were truly successful with soul resonance and used Witch-Hunter. Then having to explain; he's a teacher now, yes he's still weird, no they have never spent the night in his lab, and, he's married to Marie now and they have a son.

Ms. Albarn's loud and sudden laughter made both of them jump. Between gasps, she said how she always knew they were meant to be together.

It hadn't taken Soul long to notice that Maka was telling a carefully edited version of the truth, skirting around serious injuries and near fatal attacks. Stressing how, together, they came out winners in the end. But he knew what happened next and he wondered how she was going to shine this turd of a mission.

Crona in Italy. It was the crappiest mission, only second to fighting Asura on the moon. At least, on the moon they won, even if it was at a cost. It's still hard for Maka to talk about what happened in that church. She feels guilty about him. Now, it's compounded by memories of Crona.

She shouldn't feel guilty for him, though. It was his choice and he'd never regretted it. When Crona started to swing, he'd felt her lock her elbows. She wasn't going to block, idiot, protecting HIM. If he hadn't acted she'd be dead. There was no doubt in his mind. Nightmares, where she lies in an expanding pool of blood as her bright green eyes grow dim, have solidified that for him.

She told her Mother a nearly truthful version. She did it in the formal manner of a mission debriefing, but she did it. He was impressed.

Her mother reached over and placed a hand on Maka's clenched fist, but she looked past Maka towards Soul and mouthed the words "Thank You".

Uncomfortable, he helped move things forward. "When we got back, Stein stuck us in a room with a bunch of stinky candles"

Maka took the prompt, sending him an appreciative smile before she continued.

About the time Maka started to explain the Blackblood, Soul started to tune her out. Instead, he turned a critical eye on Kami Albarn. He's not sure how he feels about the woman, she is Maka's mother but she's been gone for years. He's met her only a handful of times. The first time was when he'd first partnered with Maka, during which he was sure she was judging his suitability as her daughter's Weapon. The last time was when she helped Maka move-in to the apartment, during which she was definitely judging the suitability of her daughter's new accommodations. He'd seen her testing the lock on both Maka's bedroom and the bathroom door. Then, almost overnight, she was gone.

He can understand her wanting to get away from Spirit, but it aggravates him that she never bothered to stay in contact with Maka. The extent of their contact since she left is the automatic deposit that arrives in Maka's account monthly to help cover expenses. Maka doesn't like to talk about it, but Soul knows that recently her mother's absence has started to bother her.

After Asura was sealed, Maka had confessed to him that she missed her mother. She was also starting to worry about what the lack of contact could mean. She'd never come right out and said it, but he knew she was worried that something may have happened to her. They had set about trying to find out where she was.

They'd inquired at the DWMA, but no one knew how to contact her. They'd reluctantly asked her dad, but he was even less help. They tried to track her down through the bank deposits, but that was "confidential" some snooty desk jockey had sneered. Eventually, he'd suggested that they resonate and she could use her soul perception, it was worth a shot. She'd quietly admitted to him that when her mama left, she hadn't developed her Soul Perception yet. She didn't know what to look for. Then, she'd thanked him before retreating to her room, claiming she was tired even though it was mid-afternoon. When she still hadn't emerged by noon the next day, he'd coerced her out of the apartment with the promises of going out for burgers and a milkshake at the diner that just happened to be next to her favorite bookstore. Neither of them ever brought up trying to find her mother again.

Maka had finally reached the point where they're on the moon. Her version is heavily edited. Considering her choice so far to downplay dangerous and serious missions, he's not surprised. The stakes were high that day and the risks huge. He listened to her gloss over the fight, stressing BlackStar's and Kid's roles and downplaying their own. She included going to try and retrieve Crona and her guilt about not being able to, but completely omitted Asura's near fatal attacks on her that proceeded it.

He didn't like hearing her minimize her role in probably the single most important battle in the last couple hundred years. She was awesome. They were awesome. She helped save the fucking world! But, he wanted to respect her choice about what to share with her mother. She always respected his boundaries when it came to his family. So he gritted his teeth and stayed silent, slouching deeper into the chair.

He hoped that after Maka had taken the time to explain what they had been doing that Ms. Albarn would return the sentiment. He, for one, wanted to know what had kept this woman too busy to contact her daughter. Maka deserved an explanation.

After a few minutes of recapping the years since the Moon, which were significantly less eventful than the years proceeding it. She was finally done.

"So, That's pretty much it.." Maka concluded.

"Wow, you two certainly have been busy, haven't you?"

"Yeah," Soul saw Maka shift uncomfortably "I guess you've been busy yourself..." The unspoken question hanging in the air.

"Oh, I guess so." She brushed off. That got his attention and he perked up turning his attention to Maka, waiting to see how she would react.

Maka hesitated, " So, what have you been doing? Travelling? Working? I'm sure it must have been very...engrossing" she prompted.

"It's not really important." Her voice was still light but there was an edge to her words. She rose from the couch "Maka. Do you have your dress for graduation yet? Can I see it?" She asked in the overly perky tone that Soul was really starting to get annoyed with.

"Umm yeah, ok." Maka moved to stand, disappointment radiated from her. He couldn't believe it. Was she really going to let the subject drop just like that? There was no way. Maka wouldn't do that. Right?

He leaned forward and casually touched her shoulder before she could move away. As soon as he made contact, he practically jabbed her with his wavelength. She physically jumped and glared at him, but she reciprocated resonance.

Out loud, he said the first thing that came to mind to stall her "Would you like some tea first?" through the link he said _'What are you doing Maka? You aren't just going to leave it at that are you?'_

Out loud she responded "No...thank you" between them she said _'Look, just leave it alone Soul, it's not important.'_

' _Yes, it is'_ A wave of frustration slips through the link from him, matched by her own irritation. Neither of the pair doing a good job controlling the intensity of their resonance at the moment.

' _No, it's not!'_ She glared at him

 _'Yes, it is!'_ He glared back

 _'No, it's-'_

The sound of Ms. Albarn clearing her throat pulled their attention to the woman. They turned to look at her in unison. "I'd love some tea." She smiled at the pair settling herself back on the couch.

Through the link, Maka can feel Soul's determination. Soul can feel her resignation.

She's right. It IS rude to have a complete conversation between them while her mother sits there completely unaware of what's going on.

Her head snapped in his direction.

 _'Yes, I heard that'_ he looked between her and his hand still resting on her shoulder. Reminding her that the link remained very much active.

"I'll give you a hand, Soul." Her smile is forced, voice strained "I'll be right back Mama." They stood in unison, moving to the kitchen.

They worked together to make tea, close enough that their shoulders touched to maintain the link. It wasn't as if their apartment was big enough to have a discrete conversation out loud.

' _So.'_ He prompted.

 _'So?'_ She tried to play dumb _._

 _'What's going on Maka? What's with the G-rated version of the Moon? Why are you letting her get away with dodging your questions?'_

' _I don't know what you're talking about Soul. You're never paying close enough attention, just like in class. I'm always-'_

' _Maka stop trying to pick a fight to change the subject.'_

 _'How did you...'_

He gently tapped her on the forehead. _'No filter. Remember.'_

She blushed, _'Fine! Might as well tell him the truth he isn't going to leave me alone.'_

 _'Not this time.'_ He confirmed.

 _'Stop that!'_ She scowled at him, _'Look, she obviously doesn't want to tell me what she's been doing.'_

 _'And you're alright with that?'_

' _I'm sure she has her reasons...'_

 _'What about not bothering to contact you?'_

 _'She said she's been busy.'_ Maka tried to excuse.

' _The Moon turned black Maka. You'd think that she'd make time for a phone call.'_

 _'It's not as if she could have known we were there.'_

 _'She was a Meister. He knows the job.'_

' _Yeah, but Soul, what we've done is way beyond what most students ever do.'_

Ok, he'd give her that.

 _'NOW who lacks a filter.'_ she grinned at him triumphantly, _'So you agree then?'_

 _'No.'_ He sighed, _'Maka, I know, she's your 'Perfect' Mama. You look up to her. You're a Scythe Meister because she was. Not that I'm complaining about that'_ He smiled down at her.

She responded with a smile of her own.

He continued, _'But you really need to take her down off the pedestal now. Stop making excuses for her. She's hasn't contacted you in years. You didn't even know if she was alive. Maka, she owes you some answers.'_

She abruptly moved away from him their resonance fading with the loss of contact but before the link completely disintegrated the words, _'I shouldn't have to force her to tell me'_ slip through. He was sure he wasn't supposed to hear that, but he had.

He's towered over her for years, broader and taller, even with his perpetual slouch, but he rarely notices. Her personality and her soul generally counteract any thoughts of her being petite, but as he looked at her, turned away from him and hunched in on herself, he's struck by how small she appears at this moment. It's wrong and bothers him right down to his core.

This was not his Maka.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder briefly giving her a reassuring squeeze. "You're way too cool for this".

Just as she had physically compressed in on herself, he lengthened, gaining nearly two inches as he stood to his full height. This is what they are. This is what they do. They're souls compliment each other. She's right after all. She shouldn't have to pry answers from her mother. So, he'd do it for her. He strode back to the living room where the source of her unease was currently attempting to watch them discretely. Her eyes follow him as he passed by and took a seat directly across from her.

He strode back to the living room where the source of her unease was attempting to watch them discretely. Her eyes followed him as he passed by and took a seat directly across from her.

"Tea?" She asked.

"We're out," he stated flatly.

"Oh, that's a shame." She replied without missing a beat "Maka dear, I saw a Deathbucks on the corner do you think you could run out and grab us something. I always get their green tea and of course, you two can get whatever you'd like. My treat" She gave Maka an overly bright smile while fishing some money out of her purse at her side.

Maka's indecision was clear. Her eyes moved between him and her mother.

Ms. Albarn turned and addressed him. "Soul, what would you like from Deathbucks?"

"Nothing."

"OK, Maka, get yourself something nice." She chimed, apparently completely unaffected by his abrupt answer.

Maka looked between them and suggested "Maybe Soul could go. I should probably stay here."

Ms. Albarn laughed, "Oh, Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be fine for a little while. Go on now." she encouraged.

Maka looked unsure before finally relenting, "I'll be right back". She slipped into a set of sandals she kept by the front door. Before turning to leave, she sent a glare his direction that was clearly meant to convey the message "be nice".

As soon as Maka was out of the apartment, Ms. Albarn turned and spoke to him plainly, without any of her previous joviality.

"She still as fast as she used to be?"

"Faster."

"Then let's get right to it. What do you want to say to me?" She squared her shoulders, maintaining eye contact, her whole being adopting a rigidity previously absent.

Now this was the Three Star Meister he'd heard about.

Soul took a few deep breaths, attempted to formulate a line of questioning. He'd intended to confront her with Maka but if he could get her to tell him then she'd have to tell Maka. He decided to start at the beginning. "Why did you leave Death City? Why didn't you keep in contact with her?"

She paused before answering, "After the divorce I needed space… to find myself," she offered.

"More than four years without even a phone call or birthday card. You must have been pretty fucking lost," he kept his tone neutral but the words were biting.

"Watch it!" She warned him, her eyes hardened.

"She's your daughter. She idolizes you and you couldn't be bothered to pick up the phone. Do you have any idea what she's been doing?"

"Young man, I was a Meister before you were born, I know what's involved. Besides, I contacted the school for progress reports."

"So you had time to contact the school but not call her?"

"I tried the number for here too, no one ever answered."

"And you didn't bother leaving a message? A call back number? Did it even occur to you that she might need a way to contact you? " he had to work hard to keep his tone neutral.

"I moved around a lot, but I'm sure she could have tracked me down if she needed to" She dismissed.

When they had failed to find a way to contact her mother, he'd had to deal with Maka moping around the apartment. The whole thing had made him feel beyond useless and here she was sitting in their living room casually commenting about how she was sure they could have tracked her down. It frayed his temper.

"She tried," he growled "You couldn't even be bothered to check in after the moon turned black? She was worried you were dead. Why else would her MOTHER not contact her?! Weren't you concerned about her AT ALL?!"

"I called the school!" she defended, "They said she had helped fight the Kishin, but that she wasn't seriously injured!"

"You were a Meister! Do you honestly think she actually fought Asura without being hurt?!" He was on his feet now glowering down at her, his formulated line of questioning abandoned in the face of her obstinate refusal to admit she'd done anything wrong.

For her part, she wasn't one to be intimated, rising to meet him."They said she was FINE! She JUST told me what happened, she was just there to assist. To support everyone with her wavelength." She refused to back down.

"She lied!" He yelled. "We were right in the middle of it."

"I find that VERY hard to believe!" She shot back.

His previous anger deserted him in the face of what he needed to divulge. This was not something he liked to think about. He shoved his hands in his pockets resorting to his old armor.

When it had happened he'd been half lost to madness, focused on playing the piano, activating the Blackblood, thank Death for that. He'd known something happened and understood the implications to the fight in the moment. It wasn't until much later, when he'd asked BlackStar, that he got the details. Asura, elbow deep in Maka's chest. He was glad he couldn't remember it himself.

His next words felt like lead on his tongue and made his stomach clench uncomfortably, but she needed to know. "Maka...she nearly….for a second, he kil-... he got her," he forced out, to this day still unable to say the actual word "If it wasn't for the Blackblood, she wouldn't be here. Neither of us would be."

Neither of them.

Because there is no version of any mission past or future where he comes home without her.

Ms. Albarn's eyes were wide "I didn't… they said she wasn't badly hurt"

"The Blackblood, when it's active like that, it protects her. So yeah, if you weren't there you wouldn't know."

"Why didn't she tell me?" she sunk back down onto the couch, all her earlier fight leaving her.

"I don't know. Maybe she thinks, it's not important" He used her earlier words against her.

She was silent, staring at a spot on the floor, lost in thought. After a painfully long time, she finally blinked and stood. She surprised him by moving to stand directly in front of him, staring at him as if trying to divine some great truth.

"You really care about her, don't you?"

"Yeah…she's my Meister." He shrugged, distinctly uncomfortable with how intensely she was looking at him.

Her face lit in a very familiar smile. Before he could process what she was doing, she'd pulled him down into a motherly hug. He was bent at an odd angle his head tucked under her chin as she crushed him. She was unnervingly strong.

"…and a Weapon protects their Meister. Thank you for protecting my daughter." Her voice shook and he heard her sniffle.

He'd yelled at her and the crazy woman was hugging him. This must be where Maka got it from.

Speaking of Maka, his Maka-Dar was signaling her return. He managed to extricate himself from the hug.

"Maka's back," he stated as he moved to open the door.

Maka practically tumbled through the door hair messed, eyes a little wild. Although, she still managed to perfectly balance the tray of drinks she carried. Freaky versatile Meister skills.

Soul smiled "Took you long enough." he teased. Happy she was back, so he could retreat from her mother. He could still feel her watching him, and it was making all the hairs on his neck stand up.

"There was a line-up." Maka narrowed her eyes at him.

He eyed the drink tray she carried; it held three drinks, one being an iced coffee that was his drink of choice in the summer "I said I didn't want anything."

"Yeah, well...I needed something I could throw at you depending on what you did."

He intentionally leaned into her personal space, "So My Meister." she blushed and he grinned "Should I get ready to duck?"

Maka took one last look between him and her mama before relenting, "No, I guess you're safe"

"Cool." He straightened up and plucked the cup from the drink tray. "I'll be in my room. Thanks for the coffee Ms. Albarn." He called before he closed his bedroom door behind him.

Maka gaped at him as she tried to figure out what his abrupt departure meant. She was pulled from her thoughts by her Mama's gentle voice.

"Maka come sit down with me."

Maka resumed her place next to her on the couch. Setting the drink tray with the two remaining cups on the coffee table.

"Sorry about Soul."

"Oh no. No need to apologize for him." Maka cast a skeptical look at her mama but she received only a smile in response. "He's very protective of you."

Maka fidgeted, "Um I guess. We are partners after all."

"Yes. You certainly are."Her mama's smile faded. "I'm sorry I worried you and I'm so sorry that I didn't leave you a way to contact me. I didn't realize you wouldn't be able to find me."

"It's OK Mama, I understand."

"I should have been here for you." She hugged her.

"Mama it's fine, really."

"No, I screwed up," she said firmly. She pulled her purse onto her lap and began digging around in it. Eventually, she produced a card and pen, writing something on the back of the card before handing it to her. "That is my business card, on the back I put my home address in Chicago, and my home phone number. I'm renting currently, so if any of this changes I will let you know. If I can't reach you, I will call and leave my new information with the DWMA. You call me whenever you want, day or night." She said it with the intensity of an oath and Maka couldn't help but believe her.

"Thank you," she whispered. Whatever Soul had said to her seemed to have cut through her cheerful facade, bringing her mama closer to the surface. She tried one more time "Mama, where have you been?"

Her mama looked guiltily at her before she replied, "Maka, I can't tell you."

"What does that even mean?" She pressed. She'd thought they were making progress.

She sighed. "I only traveled as a tourist for maybe 9 months before I was recruited by...before I started working... in the type of job that a former high-ranking Meister can get."She looked away "I'm sorry. It's almost entirely covered by an ironclad confidentiality agreement..."

"You couldn't even call?"

"I spent a lot of time in remote locations, that made it impossible for me to contact you on a regular basis...I did try to call when I could," she offered, "but there was never an answer at the apartment and it didn't feel right to leave a message after so long. I called the school, tried to stay informed that way and eventually through newspapers and media. You and Soul made the news more than once." She paused here pulling something from her purse and handing it to Maka.

It was a newspaper clipping, a picture of her and Soul sitting next to each other during Kid's inauguration.

She didn't know quite what to say. She respected her mama's commitment to honoring the confidentiality agreement, but she wished she could know what had been so important to warrant such isolation. She had at least tried to stay in contact Maka reasoned, although a small part of her was still hurt that she hadn't made more of an effort.

She passed the newspaper clipping back to her mama wordlessly. Silently observing the care her mama took with folding it back up and returning it to the zippered pocket of her purse.

"I really like that picture." Her mama said smiling at her, her smile fading as she picked up on Maka's conflict. "I'll be around more now" she offered, "My new job is different."

"Mama, Before you were offered this confidential job, you traveled for fun, though?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell me about that?" At least, she could learn about what she had been doing before confidentiality set in. And maybe she could figure out some clues as to the rest.

"Yes!" She beamed. For the next while, Maka listened to her mother tell her about all the travel she had done for the first 9 months away from Death City. She had traveled to every continent. Largely visiting old friends from the academy that had been posted or moved to the different areas. She stopped short of revealing how she had stumbled into the job she'd eventually taken, but Maka could piece together that it had something to do with a former roommate who she'd been visiting in Argentina. She had quickly changed the subject, saying that she really did want to see Maka's dress.

* * *

Maka went to the bathroom to change into her dress, leaving Kami alone in her daughter's room. She took the opportunity to look around. It was tidy, but when she looked closely there were books tucked everywhere, not just on the overflowing bookshelf.

Maka had always loved to read.

The top of her dresser was nearly covered in photo frames. There was a picture of herself. It was taken before Maka was born. She's so young in it, the same age that Maka is now. There was a picture of Spirit and Maka, his hair is tied back and a 2-year-old Maka is sitting on his lap while he reads to her. She remembered taking the photo. The images brought up a torrent of memories that made her long for that time in her life. With one last long look, she put the frame down.

There were multiple pictures of young people, only some of whom she recognizes. Thinking over what Maka had told her earlier she began putting names to the faces.

There was a picture of Maka standing next to someone who must be Crona, if the black figure with the white X's for eyes looming over their heads is any indication. Maka has her arm around Crona who is nervously smiling at her. This sad frail-looking child is the one who sealed the Kishin? She better understood her daughter's guilt now.

There was a framed photo of the young man she recognized as the new Lord Death. Kid, Maka had called him. He's flanked by two blonde women in cowboy hats that appear to be sisters. They must be his Weapons, Liz and Patti. She wasn't sure which is which.

In a frame opposite that one is a teenage BlackStar giving a thumbs-up, arm around a tall dark haired woman making a peace sign who must be Tsubaki. She's glad that he managed to find a weapon that could resonate with him. He'd always had such a chaotic wavelength. When she'd watched him and Maka play as children, she'd mused that if Maka ended up inheriting Spirit's Weapon gene that they might be partners. Maka had always been fairly good at getting BlackStar to focus.

There was a picture of Soul. He's a rather nice looking young man, even with his unusual features. When she'd first met him, she'd recognized his white hair, red eyes, and pointed teeth, as genetic markers that indicated his potential to be a powerful weapon. They also made him damn intimidating when angry. She'd learned that this afternoon. But, he is far from angry in this photo. He's sitting on the couch in their living room, one leg propped up on the knee of the other and the whole limb is transformed into a piano keyboard that he's apparently playing. A gentle lopsided smile graces his face and there is a warmth to how he is looking at the camera. No, she amended to herself, he's looking at the person taking the picture and it's a good bet that's Maka.

There were other photos too, of young people she can't identify. Classmates, friends, presumably other members of Spartoi, but she can't even begin to put names to those faces. She doesn't know her daughters friend's. A pang of guilt ran through her. She'd been gone far too long.

She almost didn't see the last picture. It wasn't in a frame, tucked behind the picture of Soul. She carefully took it from its hiding place and examined it.

It was a picture of Maka and Soul. It looked recent, taken at a beach. They are lying in the shade of a beach umbrella on an oversized blanket, both asleep. Maka's bathing suit does nothing to hide a collection of dark bruises that mar her skin, the largest and darkest ones localized to her left side, covering her shoulder, hip, and knee. To Maka's left is Soul. He lies with one arm bent up and tucked under his own head, the other extends across to act as a pillow for Maka. There isn't anything overtly suggestive to the position, but there's an undeniable intimacy to the arrangement. She's nearly certain there's more going on between the two of them than just a partnership.

She tilted her head thoughtfully, wondering if it was intentional or a coincidence that he's positioned to, in effect, guard her injured side. It was probably intentional. She certainly hadn't exaggerated when she'd commented on how protective he was, even if Maka had shrugged it off. There was something on his chest. It's not as blatant as the bruises on Maka, so she hadn't noticed it at first. It wasn't until she held the photo closer to get a better look that she recognized it for what it is. She inhaled sharply. She'd been told this afternoon about the slash he'd taken for her daughter, but being told what he did and seeing the evidence are two very different things. The scar bisects his torso crossing directly over his heart. She owed that boy more than a thank you. She was grateful that her daughter had such a devoted partner.

It's not just him, though. Maka is equally devout. Although she isn't nearly as obvious about it, far more guarded with her words and actions. But she can feel it in the pull of their souls. She'd been aware of it the second she'd stepped through the front door and it had only become more obvious the more time she spent with them. The gravity of their connection was palpable. They are like planets caught in orbit around each other. She wondered if it was possible for two people so young to share a Soul Tether.

She wondered if it was possible for two people so young to share a Soul Tether.

* * *

Maka examined herself in the bathroom mirror. She'd picked out the dress the last time BlackStar and Tsubaki were in town. Her and Tsubaki had managed to find the dress relatively quickly. It was dark purple, reaching to just above her knees. It's technically strapless, but purple lace overlays it and covers her chest, upper back, and three-quarters of the way down her arms. There was a matching satin ribbon that wrapped around her waist to define it. Taking a moment to make sure everything was in order, she opened the door and nearly ran into Soul who was headed down the hall towards her room.

"Hey." She greeted him.

His eyebrows rose when he saw her, "Hey, what's with the dress?"

"My Mama wanted to see it. What do you think?" She held out her arms doing a little turn.

He shrugged noncommittally "She staying for dinner?" He inclined his head in the direction of her bedroom.

"I think so" She responded, trying not to dwell on the fact he dodged her question.

"Curry ok?" He asked heading back to the kitchen.

"Sounds good",

Without turning around to face her, he added, "The dress looks nice."

Her face warmed, "Thank you" she called after him.

In her room, she found her Mama digging through her closet.

"Sweetie, have I been sending you enough money?" she asked without looking up.

"Yeah, what you send is plenty, why?"

"Most of your clothing is some variation of a DWMA uniform."

"No, I have other stuff too" She protested joining her mother in her search through her closet.

"I see a few pairs of shorts and sleep pants, some tank tops, and a black dress."

"I think there is a pair of jeans and a skirt in here too" Maka defended.

"You graduate in 5 days, are you planning on wearing your school uniform when you aren't in school anymore."

"Uh, I hadn't really thought about it." She'd never been one to dwell on things like fashion and clothing.

"Well then. It's decided. Tomorrow we're going shopping! I'm buying you a whole new wardrobe" She announced.

"Mama you really don't have to. I'll get my first real paycheck soon. I can buy my own clothes"

"Your closet says differently. I insist." She said firmly before brightening "Now let's have a look at you" She said standing and indicating that Maka should turn around a few times.

Maka completed two revolutions and caught the misty look in her mama's eyes.

"Mama?"

She snapped back to attention."You look beautiful."

Maka smiled and changed the subject worried her mama would start crying. "Soul's making curry. Are you staying for dinner?"

"Yes, that sounds nice." She hesitated a moment before asking. "So how long has the Soul Tether between you two been active?"

"The what?"

"A Soul Tether" She reiterated as if it was obvious. But at Maka's confused look she prompted. "You know, that sneaky conversation in the kitchen earlier."

"Oh!" She hadn't realized her mama had noticed that. "We figured out we could do that by controlling our resonance a while ago."

"Hmm… I don't think what you were doing was JUST controlled resonance." She frowned, biting her lip, thinking for a moment before continuing."A Soul Tether, it's a type of constant low-level resonance. It wasn't part of the DWMA curriculum. I stumbled on it in a book from the DWMA's library and years later I got to meet a Meister Weapon team that shared one. It felt similar to what you two have. Has anyone mentioned it to you?"

Maka shook her head, "I've never heard of it."

"…Maybe I'm wrong. If that's what you have, someone should have explained it to you. Franken should have picked up on it right away. Do you have a constant awareness of Soul?"

She thought about it, Maka had noticed something to that effect, but she had attributed that to her soul perception being over sensitive because it was him, "I guess so but I have exceptionally strong soul perception, I figured it was just that."

"Hmm…possibly, what about him for you? Do you know?"

"Maka-Dar" she immediately supplied.

"Maka-Dar?" Her mama asked, smiling in amusement.

"That's what he calls it, he says it's like he knows where I am or something….he said it's a weapon thing…" she trailed off.

Her mama's wide smile made her question that assessment.

"No, it's not a 'weapon thing'. It's the most basic form of a Soul Tether and it's very rare, the only one I've ever seen was between a Meister and Weapon that had been partnered for nearly three decades. A Soul Tether only occurs when a Meister and Weapon are extremely close." She smiled. "Is there anything you'd like to tell me Maka?" her Mama winked at her.

"MOM!"

"It's ok. You can tell me. You're almost 18 after all. I just hope you're using protection"

"Ah! MOM STOP! Soul and I…we aren't like that. "

"Oh, are you sure?" She seemed genuinely perplexed.

"YES! I'M SURE!"

"Alright, alright…." She placated but continued to frown at her.

"So, a Soul Tether...?" Maka supplied, trying to get her Mama back on the important subject. She'd known there was something different about their resonance. Whenever she'd mention his Maka-Dar, the person who she was speaking to hadn't understood what she was talking about. Had she been completely neglecting this rare form of resonance? And not just her, but all her teachers that possessed Soul Perception too, apparently. "If it's a Soul Tether why hasn't anyone said anything?"

"I don't know. It could be that it's weak, or, if you're only learning about it now, it might be under-developed. I'm not really an expert. You will probably want to research it. There should be books about it in the DWMA's library."

Maka jumped to her feet, intent on going to the DWMA right away. Single-minded as always.

She made it as far as slipping on her boots at the front door.

"Hey! Where the hell are you going?" Soul called from the kitchen.

"Library," she responded distractedly, trying to get the buckle on the left boot done up.

"Now?!"

"Yes!" Succeeding in buckling her left boot and moving on to the right.

"Really?!"

"Yes!" right boot buckled and hand on the door knob.

"Maka wait!"

"What!?" She turned to look at Soul, hands on her hips. He was standing in the kitchen, holding a wooden spoon coated in curry sauce.

"I just started making dinner" He pointed at the stove with the wooden spoon "your mother's staring at you like you've lost your mind" The spoon was directed down the hallway to her mama, who was looking at her from the bedroom where she left her, "and you're still wearing that dress," he said pointing the spoon at her.

Maka blushed. OK, maybe she could be a little too single-minded at times.

"But if it's that death damn important, just wait a second and we'll take the bike." He switched off the stove and headed for his room where he kept his keys.

He made some good points, but if they had a special form of resonance she needed to learn everything she could about it. Was it actually a Soul Tether or something else? Why would they have it? What was the point of it? Would it make them stronger or could it be a liability? Better to know these things so they didn't just pop up during a mission and get one of them killed. She was about to confirm that yes, they needed to go now when Soul tossed her trench coat at her. "You're going to need this, right?" She smiled up at him, he knew her so well.

"See you tomorrow Mama, love you. Lock the door when you leave."

Kami could only stare and nod mutely from her place on Maka's bed as her daughter dropped a set of what must be house keys on the kitchen table and disappeared out the door.

* * *

Note:

I just wanted to mention that, in line with references to the black moon and Soul being a Death Scythe this is largely based on the Manga which means no postcards from her mom. On top of that the conversation that happens near the end of the Manga between Spirit and Maka when he give Maka her mother's ring seems to imply, at least to me, that they haven't heard from her at least since all the craziness began, which if you take into account the time shift is actually quite a while.


	5. Chapter 5: Improvements and Impulses

First, huge Thank You to Professor Maka for being my Beta and for ALL the commas. Other stuff too, but really, so many commas. :)

Hope you all enjoy this. It's probably my favorite chapter so far.

Reviews, Favorites, and Follows are all greatly appreciated.

* * *

Chapter 5: Improvements and Impulses

Soul yawned loudly as he slouched deeper into one of the library's uncomfortable chairs. Maka had filled him in on what exactly had required them dropping everything. They, supposedly, potentially shared something called a Soul Tether. Whatever that meant.

He cast his eyes across the desk to Maka, who was completely ensconced in stacks of hardcover books. A small table lamp was perched on top of one of the stacks, illuminating whatever book she was reading. She'd been at it for hours, flipping through book after book, occasionally writing a few notes on a piece of paper she kept off to the side. Apparently, Soul Tethers were hard to research.

She'd told him, more than once, that he didn't need to wait for her-she could meet him at home-to which he'd repeatedly responded in the negative. She might be a kick-ass Meister, but there was no way he was leaving her to walk home alone in the middle of the night. Death City wasn't inherently dangerous, but it tended to attract trouble. Just because things seemed to have calmed down in the world didn't mean there wasn't anything biding its time in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity. He'd be damned if he'd provide one.

The silence of the library was shattered by a loud shout of, "Finally!" and Maka jumping to her feet.

Soul nearly tipped over in his chair.

She held up an ancient, fragile looking book and began to read from it. "A Soul Tether is a constant low-level resonance connection that will infrequently and inadvertently form between the souls of Meister and Weapon partners. Considered extremely rare, Soul Tethers are estimated to occur in approximately 1:10,000 partnerships. There is no definitive factor for the precipitation of its formation; the only consistent factor is those involved always possess an exceptionally strong bond. The majority of recorded cases have manifested within long-term partnerships, although there are a small number of reported exceptions." She snapped the book closed, beaming at him triumphantly.

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "That's it?"

Maka's triumph dissolved. "The references to it are mostly vague accounts of how it's been used." She sunk back down behind the walls of her fortress of musty hardcovers. "I'd like to see you do better," she challenged.

"I tried. You said you'd just want to reread anything I looked at anyways."

"It's the truth," she responded unapologetically, her focus already on another book.

He sighed, shifting again in the chair, causing the wood to creak with his efforts.

"Stop fidgeting. It's distracting," she complained, without looking up. "You know, you CAN always go home," she offered again.

Soul shrugged, knowing she wouldn't see it.

He absently considered, at least, going for a walk to stretch his legs, try and return some feeling to his currently numb ass, but wandering around the vacant DWMA would probably be worse than watching Maka read. Which was only slightly more exciting than watching paint dry.

There were no classes this week. Most of the younger students had gone home for the summer. Members of the graduating class were off enjoying their last week of freedom before they either became agents or had to find some other work.

In fact, it seemed they were the only two people dumb enough to be there.

He'd seen a total of three people since they'd arrived. The librarian, who after helping Maka collect the books she was currently surrounded by, had gone home for the night. And a man and woman he didn't recognize in the hall when he'd made a quick run to the cafeteria kitchen to raid it for their dinner. That had been hours ago.

He resigned himself to settle in for the long haul.

Soul leaned forward in the chair, resting his forehead on the table and letting his arms stretch across the table top, fingers absentmindedly tapping against the hardwood, playing a song that only he could hear. He had nothing better to do while he waited.

* * *

Maka added the most recent book to the "interesting but not helpful" pile, before looking at her fidgety partner.

She noticed the melodic cadence to his tapping fingers and wondered what it sounded like to him. Following the line of his lean, strong arms, her eyes mapped, every tendon and muscle as they twitched. His messy mop of white hair was the only thing visible with his face resting against the table.

Her mind wandered, and she imagined herself running her hands up his arms, mapping those same muscles and tendons with her fingertips. Sliding her hands across his shoulders and up his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair in order to tip his face up to hers and give her access to his lips. Running her lips over his and discovering how he tasted.

 _Whoa! Where did that come from!?_ She ducked down behind the stacks of books. Trying to force what must be an impressive blush to fade. That had been happening more often recently; little slips of control, daydreams, fantasies (if she was being honest with herself).

Not good, considering a big part of her perfectly valid argument against any potential relationship with Soul had been sitting on their couch just this afternoon.

Maka risked peeking at Soul. He hadn't moved. She appreciated what he'd done this afternoon. Whatever he had said to her mama had worked. Her mama had been far more open and sincere when Maka had returned from Deathbucks.

She knew it had been an intense conversation, had kept track of their souls the entire time. At one point, their wavelengths had been so sharp that she had wondered if it was possible for them to peel the paint from the walls. He'd gone toe to toe with her mama and that took a lot of guts. It wasn't something she'd been willing to do in the moment, too worried about scaring her away, creating another extended absence. Then something had shifted and the pain that had rolled off first him then her mama had caused her to gasp, and the person ahead of her in the Deathbucks line up to look at her warily. That's why she'd gotten Soul the iced coffee, to hopefully cheer him up, although she wasn't about to tell him that.

The tempo of the song was picking up, his fingers tapping faster and harder on the desk. She considered asking him to play out loud or to allow resonance so she could hear, too. She loved his music. But he was probably doing this because he was bored, and it would be inconsiderate to be distracted from her task more than she already had been.

She had made it through all the books that had references to Soul Tethers in them. She had found a definition and had managed to compile a list of names of partners that had shared one. Of those partnerships, only one had been in the last 50 years and could potentially still be around. Her next steps would be to research each individual partnership and ask around to find out if either member of the partnership were still alive.

Sighing in resignation, she decided she would just have to come back another day. Maybe she could pawn Soul off on BlackStar for a few hours tomorrow. For tonight, she wanted to try something new before they headed home.

She waited a moment until Soul's fingers stilled and relaxed before she announced, "I think we need to see what we can do."

"Huh?" He lifted his head to look at her. She had to keep herself from laughing at the big red mark on his forehead caused by it being pressed to the table for too long.

"I can't find a comprehensive list of what a Soul Tether can do or how it works. Best I can tell is that it varies depending on the abilities of the souls involved," she explained.

"OK? So what does that mean?" he responded in a bored tone.

"Well…" She cast her eyes around the books surrounding her, "I found reference to it being used to communicate through resonance, like what we already do. That's what tipped my Mama off. Apparently, it might be possible for us to do it from a distance." She started flipping through a book from earlier until she found what she was looking for. "And your Maka-Dar. I found a few references to something like it. It seems it's a form of limited Soul Perception. There is a reference in here to a Weapon that uses it to find her Meister when they are separated from each other during a mission."

"Hm!" He noticeably perked up at that bit of information.

"I think we need to work on developing it and find out what ours is capable of." Maka stood, leaning over the stacks of books that surrounded her to extended her hand to him. Soul made a show of stretching in his chair and cracking his knuckles loudly, causing her to cringe, before he took her hand without bothering to stand. She gave him her best unimpressed look before signalling for an increase in resonance, he responded, and the connection sprung to life.

 _'So, it's training then?'_ he asked through the link.

 _'Yeah, it seems like our best option for right now.'_ She scowled at the books, before turning and smiling brightly at him, _'Besides, you're way past being bored.'_

 _'She knows me so well.'_ He smirked at her _'What's the plan?'._

 _'Yes I do.'_ She grinned when he blushed at being overheard. _'and I want to see if we can maintain this level of resonance without touching. Now pay attention to what I'm doing.'_ She concentrated on feeling the part of her soul that was connected to his and she felt him do the same for the part of his soul that was connected to hers.

 _'Ready?'_ Maka asked, and felt Soul's wordless confirmation through the link. She slowly released Soul's hand. The resonance wavered but held.

 _'Cool'_

 _'Yeah'_ she agreed, pulling her hand away.

 _'Still here.'_ Soul grinned at her. Stepping around her chair, she began taking slow deliberate steps backwards, counting as she went.

 _'One…Two…Three…Four…Five…'_

 _'Six.'_ He counted for her.

 _'Seven.'_ Maka smiled.

 _'Eight.'_ Soul smiled back.

 _'Nine'_ Maka felt the tension between them.

 _'Ten.'_ Soul stood up from his chair involuntarily, she felt him focus for a second on not following the pull on his soul.

 _'You OK?'_ Maka asked. She stopped her steps and waited for his reply.

 _'Yeah, I'm good,'_ he reassured, 'Are you?'

 _'Yeah,'_ she responded, although she felt the connection strain.

Maka took another step back. _'Eleven.'_ The connection between them stretched, and they felt it pulling them back towards each other.

 _'Go for one more Maka,'_ he encouraged. She stepped and Soul counted _'Twelve'_

They stood about twenty-five feet apart, resonance intact. It took focus, but they could still hold a conversation. The only time they'd done anything even close to this was at the factory in Russia, when Soul had brought her back from the Clown's madness. But at that time their resonance had been facilitated by the Black Blood. This was all them.

 _'Wow.'_ She smiled at him from across the gap.

 _'Yeah.'_ He grinned back.

 _'Don't move. I want to check something.'_ Maka activated her soul perception and closed her eyes. She blocked out everything else but their souls and the flow of energy between them. Soul glowed across the room from her; he felt warm and pulsed with hidden power. A strand of his soul stretched through the darkness to her and was entwined with the strand of her soul that stretched back to him. When she looked closely, there was something else there, a thin almost translucent thread that connected them. It looked like their souls had wrapped around it, following it to maintain resonance.

 _'Is that... the Soul Tether?'_ She carefully reached out, intent on examining it.

 _'What?'_

His voice startled her only slightly, but it was enough to snap the already taut connection.

Maka watched in morbid fascination as the strands of their linked souls unraveled, shooting back to their owners like they were overly stretched elastic bands. The nearly invisible thread that was the Soul Tether remained undisturbed. Then the recoil of their broken resonance slammed into her and a sudden inability to breath became her sole focus.

* * *

The smooth tile of the library floor was cold against his cheek as he gasped and coughed, trying to get his lungs to work again. Fuck that hurt. He'd heard her say something about the Soul Tether and felt the connection snap. Without warning, it felt like he'd been kicked square in the chest, driving the air from his lungs and forcing him to the ground.

"Maka, what the hell was that?" he rasped. When he didn't receive a response, apprehension twisted in his gut and he forced himself to his hands and knees.

Looking under the table and past chair legs, he saw her on the floor where she had been standing. She was on her knees with her forehead and arms against the floor, hair obscuring her face.

"Shit!" He crawled toward her, still unable to draw enough breath to attempt to stand. He took the most direct route, going under the table, pushing chairs out of the way. He could hear her wheezing with every breath. "Maka?!"

"I'm OK," she finally answered as he reached her. She shifted onto her back, breathing becoming considerably less laboured. He sighed in relief before mirroring her position on the floor next to her. Absentmindedly, he rubbed at the ache in his chest. Her hand landed on his, and her fingers interlaced with his.

"Are you hurt?" she asked, the concern evident in her voice. He shook his head, an action she apparently didn't see judging by the panic swimming behind her green eyes when her face appeared above him. "Soul?"

He smiled at her. "I'm fine," he reassured.

She released the breath she'd been holding and her forehead landed on his shoulder. "I'm sorry." She squeezed his hand. "You shouldn't have startled me."

"I just love how you can apologize and blame me at the same time," he said flatly, bringing his free hand up to pat her on the head. They stayed like that for a few minutes until they'd both recovered.

"What was that?" he asked her.

"I think that the connection was so stretched that when it broke it sort of recoiled." Maka sat up next to him. "Maybe we should try working on something less potentially volatile."

"Now?"

"Unless you're not up to it?" From anyone else that phrase could have been interpreted as concern. From Maka, it was a challenge.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Your Maka-Dar working?" she asked, grinning down at him.

"It's always working." He smiled back at her, sitting up as well.

She blushed lightly, standing. "Remember me telling you about playing hide and seek with Black Star?"

"Yeah…" He answered cautiously.

"Well, you're 'it,'" she said, turning and hurrying through rows of bookshelves before Soul could get to his feet.

"Hey!" He went after her, catching glimpses as she weaved between the shelves, but it didn't take her long to lose him entirely. Soul didn't spend much time in the library while Maka knew every doorway, stairway, corner, bridge and level.

After hunting for her for a while, he eventually stopped on one of the bridges that connected the upper levels, letting his arms rest on the metal railing. He realized that he'd have to figure out how to use the Soul Tether to find her. His Maka-Dar hummed; she wasn't far away, but where? It had only ever told him when she was nearby, never her exact location. He took a few steps in each direction, hoping that would tell him which way to go. It didn't. He sighed in frustration; this was her area of expertise. Maka was the finder out of the two of them.

"How about you try finding me?!" he called into the empty space.

"Because that's too easy!" her voice echoed off the library walls, impossible to pin point. "I always know where you are, remember, human radar."

"Right…" Soul tried to remember what she'd told him about the Tether. It was based on the souls involved. His Maka-Dar was a form of Soul Perception. When they resonated, he interpreted her Soul Perception through music. OK music, concentrate on finding the music…nothing… Dammit! He ran his hand through his hair, frustration growing.

"It's OK Soul, keep trying."

He snapped his head up, looking around. She could see him.

"Stalker!" he playfully accused.

"Focus!" she scolded him.

"Can I have a hint?" he joked, not expecting a response.

After a beat of silence, Maka's hesitant voice echoed off the walls.

"…I saw it when we were resonating earlier…it looks like a thin thread stretched between our souls."

"Thanks Maka, but I'm not you, I can't see it!"

"You asked for a hint!" Maka's annoyed voice growled from somewhere. "It's not like I know how this is supposed to work anymore than you do!"

He sighed and closed his eyes, thinking about what she'd said and trying to determine how he could use it.

A thin thread that stretched between them had to be strong and flexible. No matter where they were in relation to each other, his Maka-Dar had never cut out since he'd first noticed it. Maybe it wasn't so much a thread as a wire. He pictured a wire stretched between their souls, strong but flexible at the same time...like piano wire. He shook his head, grinning wryly at his theory. He had one screwed up soul; everything always came back to the piano. So, if his soul was attached to Maka's soul by a piano wire, he could be pretty sure what note it would play, 'G.'

Just thinking of it caused the note to Resonated through his soul, travelling away from him, vibrating along something that must be the Soul Tether. The vibration faded away before he could get a clear sense of where she was. He smiled; he had it now. He focused his wavelength and struck the note with conviction. Once again, the sound resonated through his soul, stronger this time. He heard it travelling along the Tether and he tracked the direction it went in. He felt her soul reverberate at the other end before the note was echoed back to him. In his mind's eye for just a second, he saw her. He knew where she was. Soul sprinted for the staircase, taking the steps two at a time.

Maka was standing next to the railing on the highest bridge, almost directly above where he had been. She had a huge smile on her face and looked like she was restraining herself from jumping up and down in excitement.

"You did it!" She beamed, and apparently her control slipped because she bounced a little. "When you figured it out, I felt it!"

He stuck his hands in his pockets and assumed his unaffected slouch as he slowly walked up to her. "It's no big deal." He felt about as giddy as she looked but there was no way he was going to show it, although he couldn't keep the smile from his face.

"So then you could do it again?" she asked him, bright smile shifting to something more mischievous.

He shrugged in response to her question. "Sure."

"Ok, but I won't make it easy for you this time."

He leaned in close to her, hoping to earn a blush with his next words. "I wouldn't expect any less from, My Meister." He made a point of enunciating the last words, letting them roll off his tongue. He was rewarded with a deep scarlet blush as her eyes seemed to glaze and drift to his lips. Then, she came back to herself and, to his horror, she launched herself over the railing, falling from view.

"Maka!" His unaffected attitude was forgotten as his heart leapt into his throat. He gripped the railing where she had been standing and leaned over the edge just in time to see her land in a crouch on the bridge below. "What the hell, Maka?!" he yelled down at her, angry at her for scaring him.

She smiled up at him, cheeks still tinged pink, clearly beyond pleased with herself. "You can tell me all about how crazy and reckless I am when you catch me," she called.

"Wait! What do you mean, CATCH you?"

"I SAID I wouldn't go easy on you." She winked at him over her shoulder and sprinted away, heading down the stairs.

"You sound like Black Star!" He accused at her retreating back.

Her very Black Star-esk laugh echoed through the library.

He took off after her, striking her note, activating his newly enhanced Maka-Dar. The feeling of her soul reverberated and the image of where she was echoed back to him. She was out of the library with a huge lead by the time he reached the ground level; damn his Meister was fast.

She wasn't kidding when she said she could feel it when he activated the Tether to find her. Each time he checked her location, she would change direction. He'd catch just the slightest hint of her new course and would have to send out his wavelength again.

After some time, Soul got the hang of repeatedly sending out his wavelength and interpreting the reverberation of her soul while simultaneously running. He was able to track her movements consistently. She must have realized because she stopped trying to evade and stuck to a straightforward route, speeding up and only occasionally diverging. He'd never be able to outrun her, but now that he could keep track of her, he began using the maze of hallways to gain ground.

* * *

The sound of Maka's boots pounding down the hallway echoed off the walls around her. She'd planned her escape from the library before Soul had even figured out how to find her. Then he'd done that "My Meister" thing. He'd been teasing her with that for a few months now. Soul had long ago abandoned any teasing about her body, so it only made sense that he needed some new way to get a rise out of her. She almost wished he'd go back to commenting on her fat ankles; at least that only pissed her off and didn't make her heart race and stomach twist.

Soul's wavelength rippled through her and she made a hard right at the nearest corner, feeling the ripple again almost immediately. He was getting better. She reminded herself that this was serious training.

If she was being honest, she was having an awesome time. Running through the empty halls of the DWMA, Soul chasing her in what was essentially an advanced form of tag was probably the most fun she'd had in a long time. It was made all the more special by the knowledge that they would soon be leaving Death City and who knows when they would get this kind of opportunity again. They certainly couldn't do something this childish once they were Agents.

Maka intentionally avoided using her Soul Perception. She wanted to give him a fair shot at catching her. She'd realized quickly that even without it, she still had a good idea of where he was. Apparently, it wasn't just overactive Soul Perception that allowed her to maintain an awareness of him.

She could feel his wavelength rippling through her nearly constantly now, and she focused on speeding up. He wasn't following the route she had taken, apparently having found a short cut. She pushed herself faster.

Maka sprinted onto the upper balcony that overlooked the front steps, jumping onto the railing, balancing there for a moment. The flickering light from the huge exterior candles illuminating the exterior of the building and the lights of Death City spread out below her.

From her place balanced on the railing, she assessed the drop. Getting on one of the large exterior skulls that adorned the front of the building was definitely doable. Maybe a one to two story jump, well within her abilities. It was the 4-6 story drop afterwards that gave her pause. She could slide along the curve of the skull for as long as possible, but eventually, there would be a vertical fall. If she pushed off a bit, she could tuck and roll on the landing, but it would be risky. Maybe too risky to do for fun.

She decided against pulling a Black Star and going over the edge.

She turned to double back just as Soul arrived.

* * *

Soul sent out his wavelength one last time, confirming her location. She must have gotten turned around with trying to lose him early in the chase because the only way off the balcony was an impressive drop and only Black Star was crazy enough to do that for fun. He grinned triumphantly as he burst through the doors.

His steps faltered when he saw her. He usually did well with his level of control when it came to Maka, but there were times when her just being her would strike him so deeply that he couldn't focus on anything beyond that present moment. This was one of those times.

Maka, smiling at him, cheeks pink, hair messy, lit only by the flickering firelight from behind her. Her dress and trench coat fluttered weightlessly around her in the breeze, while her heavy combat boots grounded her atop the balcony railing.

"Whoa," he said in awe, because there was something ethereal to the contrast of femininity and strength. It was one of the things he loved about her.

"What? You don't think I can do it?" she challenged, glaring at him, misinterpreting his words.

He smiled. He loved her. She was never willing to back down from a challenge. His feet started to move of their own accord, carrying him towards her. "I KNOW you can do it," he said.

He was directly in front of her now, looking up at her. He offered his hand to her. "I'd just rather you didn't," he spoke honestly. Their lives were rife with necessary risks and he'd rather she didn't take an unnecessary one.

Her expression softened into a gentle smile. "Then I guess you got me." Her voice was soft like she couldn't catch her breath. She took his hand and stepped off the railing. Without thought, his other hand rested on her waist, steadying her. He didn't remove his hand, even once she was safely next to him. He could see the rapid rise and fall of her chest; whether it was from the chase or something else, he wasn't sure. Green locked with red and something passed between their souls. Her lips parted slightly and he'd never wanted to kiss her more than he did right now.

The sound of the local church bells tolling one in the morning caused them both to jump.

Maka ducked her head and slipped past him, heading for the door.

He braced himself on the railing, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. What the hell was he doing?

* * *

Maka strode towards the door, intent on putting some space between herself and Soul. Internally, she berated herself.

What was she doing? Staring at him like an idiot, hoping he'd kiss her. Desperately wanting to kiss him. Thank Death for their height difference, or she would have. That stupid, idealistic part of her heart that craved "more" had apparently taken over because she knew all the reasons why giving into that impulse would have been disastrous.

But he'd looked so happy when he'd realized he'd caught her. She loved how he looked when he was proud of himself. Then his expression had shifted into something else, something that had made her pulse race, rooting her to the spot. The way he had looked up at her, warm and sincere. He could have asked her for anything at that moment and she would have gladly acquiesced.

She was nearly at the doors before she felt in control enough to look back. He was where she'd left him. He had a hand resting on the railing and was agitatedly running the other hand through his hair.

"It's late, we should probably get home. Come on So-" She cut herself off, her soul perception alerting her to two incredibly strong souls closing in fast. How hadn't she noticed them sooner?!

"Soul! Move!" she called, trying to warn him. She started running towards him but already knew it was too late. His eyes met hers over his shoulder as the edge of the balcony exploded from underneath him. She watched, helpless, as he disappeared in a cloud of masonry dust.


	6. Chapter 6: Distraction and Deviation

I'll keep it short because cliff-hangers are kind of evil. Thank you to Professor Maka for the Beta work, it's a much better-written chapter because of her.

Thank you for the fantastic reviews. They are definitely appreciated, and HUGELY motivating.

* * *

Chapter 6: Distraction and Deviation

"Soul!" Maka rushed towards the cloud of dust that had been created by the destruction of the stone balcony. A hard blow to her stomach forced her back, sending her crashing into the wall.

"You should be focusing on yourself. You're lucky I'm a decent guy or you'd be dead now," a baritone voice boomed.

Standing just short of the crumbling edge was an extremely tall, heavily tanned man. He had medium length dark blond hair, and was dressed in loose faded jeans, a sleeveless shirt, and sports sandals. She could tell by his wavelength that he was a Meister.

He grinned at her, arms crossed in front of his chest.

Maka was on her feet in an instant. She felt Soul check on her location through the Tether. She used her Soul Perception to do her own check of him. He was at the top of the DWMA's front steps with the second soul she had sensed, a Weapon. She forced her heart rate down. He'd survived the fall.

Maka stood straight and squared her shoulders. Using her serious, no bullshit Meister voice, she addressed the man across from her. "Why would a Meister and Weapon attack the DWMA? Who are you?"

The man smiled back at her casually and spoke in a breezy manner that made him seem better suited to catching waves on a beach than orchestrating an unprovoked attack on the DWMA campus. "Small and feisty, I like that." He winked.

Maka's irritation grew. "I don't give a shit what you like. What do you want?!"

"I thought you were supposed to be smart?" he responded, smile never leaving his face.

Maka sensed the change in his wavelength and shifted into a fighting stance.

The man cocked his head to the side and looked her up and down, giving an almost approving smile. He stretched his arms and tilted his head from one side to the other to crack his neck. "We aren't attacking the school," he said. "We're here to kill you, and your partner."

He sprang towards her, swinging a haymaker punch at her head. Maka dodged down and to the right, not allowing him to trap her against the wall.

At over seven feet tall, he dwarfed Maka. She didn't even come up to his chest. That wasn't a problem, though; she'd been sparring and fighting larger opponents most of her life.

He grinned before he pursued her, aiming a series of jabs at her head. She dodged them easily.

Maka moved purposefully, trying to circle around him. Attempting to maneuver herself so that he wasn't blocking her path to Soul. That initial attack had either been intended to kill Soul immediately or at least separate them. If either of those were their first priority, they probably didn't think they could win against them if they were together.

Unfortunately, her opponent was fast for a large man; whenever an advantage appeared it would disappear just as quickly. She needed to create an opening, even for just a second.

The next time he jabbed, she dodged down and stepped into his guard. Maka swung her fist up and it connected solidly with the underside of his chin. The hit had no effect. There was just enough time for Maka to recognize that before his large forearm careened down towards her from the right, forcing her to abandon her position inside his guard. She wasn't able to avoid the full force of the blow and it grazed her right shoulder.

Maka moved farther out of his range to give herself some space and time. Her shoulder was going to bruise and she absentmindedly rotated it, checking for any loss of mobility. He was extremely powerful if even that glancing blow had felt bone jarring-a direct one could be deadly.

He stood across from her, rooted to the spot between her and the edge. Just waiting, smiling.

 _Arrogant ass._

A quick glance at her split and bleeding knuckles had her lamenting not wearing her gloves. The palms were thin suede for dexterity and grip, but the back and knuckles were weighted and padded to maximize strikes and protect her hands. She couldn't risk losing use of her hands, so punching would have to be limited. But at least she'd worn her boots. She smiled.

Strapped tight around her ankles, her heavy black and white steel toed combat boots were her favorite weapons, besides Soul of course. Their reassuring weight was a reminder that while she might not have her Weapon, she was far from unarmed.

"Tired?" the Meister called to her from where he waited.

"I'm not even warmed up yet," she growled back.

Maka attacked, keeping herself low and using her smaller size and ability to move faster to her advantage. Her opponent swung for her once again with both arms. She dodged left and right, then slipped past his guard to land a powerful kick to his stomach. He moved back and curled in on himself. Maka jumped up, extending a foot, intending to use him as a jumping off point to get past. As her foot made contact with his shoulder, his unsettling smile was all the warning she got. It was a ruse. He grabbed her ankle painfully tight and she was only able to partially guard her face before it crashed into the stone. His grip on her secure, he tossed her like she weighed nothing. She sailed through the air and skidded across the ground before finally slamming into the railing near where it connected to the building.

Maka wiped blood from her split chin and forced herself to her feet. One of her legs was badly scraped from sliding against the stone, but she dismissed the injuries as superficial.

Having Soul would be really handy right now. Fighting with him was so instinctive, Maka had forgotten how much she used him to launch herself and gain height on a larger opponent.

"We went through too much trouble to separate you. I won't let you get back to him that easily." Her opponent stood solid and immovable as ever. But he'd miscalculated his last move; she was next to the railing and had her opening.

He must have noticed because he charged her, swinging his fist down and attempting to drive her into the stone. At the last moment, Maka leapt backwards and up onto the railing. Using her raised position to her advantage, she delivered a powerful kick to his jaw, forcing him to the ground. Maka ran along the balcony railing, moving away from her momentarily incapacitated opponent. When she reached the area above the center skull, she jumped and landed in a crouch. Maka was only alone for a moment before her opponent landed next to her. He grabbed for her and she deflected, twice, before he was able to power through and grab the collar of her trench coat. Her stomach dropped; he had her in a perfect position to land a finishing blow to her head. But instead, he tossed her back onto the balcony. This time she was prepared for being airborne and managed to tuck and roll, absorbing the impact of the landing.

"That was better," he called to her as he pulled himself back onto the balcony. "But you'd be doing even better if you focused on yourself. Let your partner fight his own battles for once," the Meister said in an almost friendly tone.

As if she would take advice from her opponent. "Why are you attacking us!"

"Because it needs to be done," he answered back cryptically, before advancing again.

From beyond her opponent, she heard a series of loud crashes. Maka's Soul Perception told her that Soul was dodging blows from the Weapon he was facing. He was outmatched, barely able to stay ahead of his opponent's attacks. Soul needed help.

Maka assessed her opponent. He was too fast to simply bypass. She would have to incapacitate him seriously if she was going to get to Soul.

The Meister swung down at her and she dodged at the last second, kicking upwards in a wide arc, connecting her boot with his chin in the same location as her fist had previously, but this time it was effective. He staggered back and she pursued.

Maka moved back into her opponent's guard. He continued to use his fists and arms against her and she stayed low, dodging and using swinging and sweeping kicks, maximizing the force and damage her boots could inflict. Bruises had begun to form on his arms from blocking; now she just needed to land a couple good hits to more critical areas. His attempt at a downward blow brought his face in range again and she connected her steel toe with his cheek; the sight of the skin splitting was very satisfying.

She had this. He was all rooted posture and upper body attacks, she was faster and more agile. She'd be joining Soul in no time.

Maka's confidence was misplaced though, as the next time he shifted his weight as if to throw another haymaker punch he suddenly dropped into a crouch. He smiled at her as he transferred the momentum, sweeping his leg around towards her with the force of a freight train. Using her slightly crouched position to jump up, Maka avoided the powerful limb and it passed harmlessly below her. She was still suspended in the air as he carried through with the movement, rotating fully. The back of his fist barrelled at her head. Maka did the only thing she could do; she braced herself and guarded with her forearms. The backhand sailed past her and she felt the wind it created in its wake. What Maka didn't see was how as he finished his rotation, his other fist was aimed at her unguarded left side. The impact caught her completely by surprise and she heard something crack before she was propelled sideways with incredible force. Bouncing painfully before she tumbled to a stop in front of the doors back into the school. Maka was slow to rise.

"I told you already. Focus on yourself! You're on your own! He's not here to watch your back." he growled at her, his eyes cold and angry. "You were doing so well too."

Maka carefully took shallow breaths as she pulled herself to her feet. Her ribs throbbed violently. They were badly bruised, probably broken, and she was thankful for adrenaline that kept the pain to a minimum. Settling into a ready position, she forced herself not to wince when the position increased the pressure on her ribs. She would not show weakness.

Unfortunately, her deception wouldn't last. When he attacked, he would know the extent of the damage. Her ribs were going to slow her down and limit her movement. She needed a new strategy; her speed and agility had been her advantage and she'd just lost them to a moment of inattention and arrogance.

Maka took in her location at the doorway. If the edge wasn't an option, she could go through the school. It would take significantly longer, but at least that path was clear.

She used her Soul Perception to check on Soul's location before she committed to her plan.

It took her half a second to interpret what she was sensing. Soul was down and Maka willed him to move as his opponent landed another devastating blow; his soul flickered and warped with the force of it. _Oh Death no!_ The Weapon he was facing was standing over him, ready to finish the fight.

Maka started to run, desperate to reach the edge of the balcony. The Meister would try and block her like he had before, and when he did, she would find a way around him. She could get to Soul in seconds. She had to. From some far away place, she heard herself scream his name.

The Meister never materialized in front of her and for a second Maka thought she'd gotten away with it. The feeling of her opponent tackling her was shocking. There was nothing she could do to prepare herself for being slammed into the hard stone beneath him. A flash of white behind her eyes and a jolt of pain accompanied the impact; something was wrong with her arm. Spurred into action by the feeling of his breath entirely too close to her cheek Maka managed to free herself with an extended series of kicks and punches that came more from an instinctive will to survive than any formal combat training. She was fairly sure she'd kicked his balls, possibly more than once.

Maka struggled to her feet while clutching her injured arm. She moved away, back to where she had started; her opponent remained between her and the edge of the balcony. The whole exchange had taken far too long.

The Meister was saying something again, but Maka didn't hear it. She was too busy trying to work up the courage to check on Soul, to see if she could still sense him. When she felt the reverberation in her soul that was him using the Tether to locate her, she could have cried in relief. Her Soul Perception found him heading into the DWMA entrance.

Without hesitation, Maka spun and took off through the doors, sprinting down the hall.

The sound of her opponent's cry of protest echoed down the hall behind her as he gave chase. Maka pushed herself as fast as her injuries would allow, supporting her injured arm and forcing herself to breath through the pain in her ribs. She needed to get to Soul.

* * *

Thanks to Maka's warning, Soul had managed to avoid the force of the strike that shattered the balcony. Making an awkward and rough descent to the front entry of the school, he'd landed hard but relatively uninjured. Soul had just gotten to his feet when he was confronted by an extremely petite dark haired woman dressed in black combat gear. She was one of the people he'd seen in the hall earlier in the evening. The woman stood between him and the entrance to the school, effectively blocking his route to Maka.

"You survived the fall," the woman remarked in a cold bored voice, tilting her head to the side.

"Thanks for that. It was great." Soul's voice was thick with sarcasm. He activated his Maka-Dar and found she was still on the balcony, likely facing this woman's companion.

He turned his attention back to his own opponent, "Why are you attacking us?"

The petite woman stared at him with a blank face, "Why do you think?" In a flash of light her arm transformed into a large spiked mace completely at odds with her petite stature. She charged him, swinging her mace towards his head. Phasing a blade from his arm, Soul dodged her attack and countered with a diagonal swipe that forced her back.

They stood facing each other once again. She was small and fast, but he had the longer reach. He could use that to his advantage if he needed to.

"Attack me, Death Scythe!" She goaded.

Soul wouldn't rise to the bait, trying to discreetly work his way around her in an attempt to reach the entrance and get back to Maka. He was her Weapon Partner and his place was at her side. That she was fighting without him right now was something he hated.

The Mace Weapon kept herself between him and the entrance. "Not going to happen," she stated. "You won't be able to sneak past me. If you want to get to your Meister, you'll need to defeat me first."

She attacked again, swinging her mace for his legs, forcing him to jump back. The Mace Weapon pursued, repeatedly swinging for his legs and abdomen. Soul tried to block, but she was so small it threw off his balance. Settling for staying out of her range, he tried to figure out how to counter. It wasn't until he was standing at the top of the front steps that he realized how far back he'd moved.

The Little Demon whispered in his ear. ' _This doesn't look good. You should run while you have the chance.'_

Soul ignored him, focusing on the fight. Going down the steps wasn't an option; it would give the other Weapon the high ground. He attacked, his blade whistling through the air. She dodged twice before attempting to block with her weaponized arm, wincing as he cut her.

Well that confirmed she wasn't a Death Weapon, which gave him an edge. She wouldn't be able to block without being injured. Soul pressed his attack, but even though he had the advantage, the Little Demon wouldn't stop talking.

' _What are you going to do without the girl, Soul? You're not strong enough to win on your own,'_ the Little Demon pressed from some unseen place within him.

"Shut up," Soul said out loud. He wasn't used to dealing with the Demon and the fight at the same time. Back before the Moon, the Demon had generally stuck to attempting to coerce him into using the Black Blood when he was in his Weapon form. While he'd had to pay attention, he wasn't required to actively manage the fight.

The Mace Weapon seemed to notice his distraction as she turned the tables and dodged once before advancing. In the blink of an eye, she was directly in front of him, swinging her mace arm towards his ribs. Soul was thrown off guard and barely managed to avoid it. The spikes of her mace caught his shirt instead of him. He moved back, putting some distance between them.

"Who are you telling to shut up, Death Scythe?" She grinned at him. "I'd heard rumors that you were a little unbalanced, but talking to yourself? Really?" She advanced on him, swinging her weaponized arm in a wide sideways figure eight pattern. It whooshed through the air with every downward motion.

Soul got to his feet quickly, prepared for another attack. She swung at him and he blocked with the flat of his blade, but her mace was disproportionately heavy and powerful in relation to her physical size. The blow forced his arm down, throwing him off balance, and she took the opportunity to punch him square in the nose. He heard it crack.

Soul swung his blade up at her and she retreated a few steps. His eyes watered and his nose bled profusely. Allowing himself only a second to force his nose back into alignment in hopes that would slow the bleeding, he accepted that he would just have to ignore it as best he could.

' _She's too fast for you. You're going to be a bloody smear on the steps._ _Run! Get away before she kills you,'_ the voice of the Little Demon pressed.

Soul did his best to ignore the voice in his head, but a seed of doubt had been planted. This was not his element. The last time he'd had to fight an actual enemy on his own was years ago, when he'd fought Giriko. That hadn't exactly gone well. He'd bought them some time, but be hadn't had a chance of winning.

"What's wrong, Death Scythe?! What are you waiting for?! Cut me down! Defeat me and go save your Meister," the Weapon taunted. "Or we can stand around here some more. My partner has probably finished her off by now, anyways."

Soul snapped his head to look up to the balcony and was about to activate his Maka-Dar when the Weapon took advantage of his distraction. He saw her mace arm barreling towards his chest at the last second and blocked. It still hit with enough force to throw him, and he landed once again at the top of the steps.

"Pay attention to your own fight," she growled.

"Shit," he berated himself as he got to his feet.

' _Here's the perfect opportunity. Just go down the steps. Walk away from the fight. Walk away from the girl. She doesn't love you, Soul. She doesn't deserve you,'_ the Little Demon hissed.

Soul finally lost his patience. ' _I'm not just going to leave Maka! I'm her Weapon and nothing is going to change that! So just shut up about it already!'_ he yelled, making sure to limit it to inside his head this time.

The mace Weapon attacked again; he moved out of her way at the last second and her oversized mace smashed into the stone, forming a crater where Soul had been.

She moved faster now, forcing him to stay on the defensive. Every time he dodged, a new crater was created. He wasn't able to find an opening to attack but at least she wasn't able to land a hit on him either.

"Come on, Last Death Scythe! Attack me! This is all you've got?" she challenged

' _Run. Run. Run. Run,'_ the demon chanted continuously in his head.

' _I'm not going to fucking run! What the hell is wrong with you!? Aren't you supposed to try to sell me unlimited power or something? Since when do you tell me to RUN!?'_ Soul attacked. Agitated from the internal conflict and the fact that this was taking far too long, he was impulsive and dropped his guard.

The mace Weapon was ready to take advantage of his slip and in one fluid motion ducked his attack and brought her mace careening towards his abdomen. The hit landed solidly, and he crumbled to the ground. She swung at him aggressively from below.

' _You should have run when you had the chance,'_ the Little Demon sang.

The next thing Soul heard was his ribs crunch as his opponent's strike landed square in his chest. He rolled across the ground. He couldn't breathe, his lungs were filling with blood, it was thick and metallic on his tongue. Still, he tried to force himself up.

"So, this is what passes for a Death Scythe these days," the woman remarked in a bored tone as she approached him. "Guess you're no match without your Meister. I suspected as much."

His body refused to move. He was going to die here on the front steps of the DWMA. Everything slowed down.

' _I told you, you couldn't do it without the girl,'_ the Little Demon mocked.

' _I'm done listening to you, so either help or let me die in peace,'_ Soul challenged. He felt something shift within him.

' _Do you want my help?'_ The demon asked, sounding intrigued.

' _Why are you offering now?'_ Soul asked. The demon hadn't been interested in helping before. Not that he would have taken him up on the offer.

' _Change of heart I guess,'_ he answered in a bored tone, before adding much more enthusiastically, ' _Can I kill her for you?'_

' _No, just get me up and moving.'_ Soul was not about to give the Little Demon permission to kill using his hands. That would be tantamount to handing over a blank cheque for his soul. Besides, the original goal hadn't changed.

' _Ahh yes. Of course. The girl. Your top priority even now.'_ The Little Demon sneered derisively.

' _Yeah well, not like it's the first time,'_ Soul responded confidently. He knew who he was and he wasn't going to apologize for it.

The demon hummed thoughtfully, ' _So Soul. Are we going to do this or not?'_

Soul didn't have much of a choice, but still he hesitated. This was too important to rush into. Using the Blackblood without Maka around to help harmonize was a huge risk. It could get them both killed in the end. If his choices resulted in something happening to her, he'd never forgive himself.

Soul's vision landed on the boot of his attacker. She was standing over him, mace raised, ready to cave-in his skull.

"Give up," the Mace Weapon's cold voice said. "You're done."

Then, from high above him, he heard Maka scream his name. His Maka-Dar activated instinctively and the image he received made his blood run cold. Maka being violently forced to the ground under her much larger opponent. His decision was made.

"OK," he gasped.

"You're giving up?" the Mace Weapon asked from above him.

" _You're sure?"_ The Little Demon confirmed.

"Yes dammit! Hurry up!" Soul choked through the blood.

"What?" The Mace Weapon asked.

He saw her frowning down at him in confusion as the Blackblood flooded his veins and he was unceremoniously tossed into the Blackroom.

"What the hell?" That was different. His face was pressed against a solid black floor, so highly polished that he could see his own reflection. The image reflected back wasn't him in the suit that he associated with stepping into the Blackroom. What greeted him was himself just as he appeared outside, complete with swollen obviously broken nose and accompanying blood-stained white T-shirt and jeans. He pushed himself to his feet and took in the rest of the room.

Dread seeped through him. This was not the same room from years ago. The walls weren't curtained. They were all mirrors, warped and twisted, distorting his image and multiplying into infinity. The only break in the reflection was the solidly built dark wood door, the image of which was not echoed in the opposite wall. The Concert Grand piano was missing, replaced with an ornate black Square Grand with a victorian era phonograph perched on top. But the most concerning thing was that he was alone-The Little Demon was nowhere to be seen.

Soul approached the piano, examining it. He usually he had to play to activate the Blackblood, but there was nothing usual about this situation. His fingers hit a few keys, but nothing happened. The piano was completely silent. He could feel the hammers striking the strings, but not even a dull thump was made. In fact, the room was completely soundless. His shoes didn't even make noise against the floor.

"What's going on?" he asked himself, and his voice sounded wrong. The acoustics of the room weren't right.

For the first time, Soul wondered if there was something more to the Blackblood's dormancy over the last few years. After Crona pulled the Blackblood to seal Asura on the Moon, he'd thought he was free of it, but within months, he had felt the distinct pressure of the Blackblood in the back of his mind. At the time, he had attributed it to there having been trace amounts left that Crona hadn't managed to collect, although, it wasn't like it had been before. In fact, after the moon, its presence had been almost imperceptible, and if he hadn't been familiar with the sensation of carrying the Blackblood, he may not have even been aware of its existence. That is, until yesterday, when the Demon had decided to put in his two cents about Maka and BlackStar.

The silence of the room was broken by the phonograph crackling to life. The sound of maniacal, crazed laughter played between pops and clicks.

Something was wrong. He had to get out of here.

Soul rushed to the door. It was locked. He kicked it repeatedly, but it wouldn't budge.

The phonograph began playing faster and louder.

Soul growled and threw his whole body weight against the door. "Let me OUT!" Time stopped as the door bent around his shoulder and with a deafening crack gave way. Soul fell through the doorway and down down down.

Soul crashed down face first onto the stone steps of the DWMA. Gasping in air and letting out a violent cough, a massive clot of black blood, splattered against the stone. _Gross._ He inhaled a clear breath as he made eye contact with the Mace Weapon. She was halfway down the steps, looking beat up and bloody. She stared up at him, wide-eyed and frozen like a frightened animal scared to move lest she provoke a response.

He was disoriented and it took him a moment to remember what was going on. _Shit! Maka!_ He struck her note, sending his wavelength along the Tether. It was sweet relief when it echoed back. She was alive. He'd worry about the changes to the Blackblood later; right now he needed to get to her. Soul was on his feet and headed for the school's entrance in a flash. _Maka, I'm coming._

* * *

Maka half-ran half-fell down one of the DWMAs spiral staircases, her opponent's loud footfalls thundered down the steps behind her. To stay ahead of him, she had to make sharp turns to minimize his stride advantage against her. Every breath sent a shooting pain through her ribs and every footfall jostled her shoulder. She wasn't sure if it was broken or dislocated, but it didn't matter. It was useless either way, and her other arm was engaged with supporting it.

Even through the pain, the steady reverberation of Soul using the Tether was clear. He was in the DWMA and working his way in her direction with his own opponent in close pursuit.

This was not looking good; if they reunited in a hallway, they would be immediately flanked on either side by their opponents. A scythe was not the ideal weapon for confined spaces, especially when down an arm. They needed to meet somewhere that gave them space and the ability to buy some time. Help should be arriving soon. They were in the middle of Death City-surely someone had noticed what was going on at the school.

Maka tried to think around the pain that shot through her with every step. Eliminating different options as either too far or too out of the way, she finally decided on the open treed area where she and Soul had studied for the exam a week ago. The backdoors were close and she needed that.

Maka changed directions, hoping that Soul would figure out her destination and meet her there.

When her soul reverberated once again, she thought maybe she could do more than just hope. Maka focused on trying to send her wavelength out to him the same way she did when they were standing next to each other. The next time she felt the reverberation, something else faintly flared to life. ' _Meet me at the outdoor training grounds,'_ she said in her head as if he were standing next to her. Maybe the Tether would help her get the message to him. If it didn't, she'd just have to hold her own for a little longer.

* * *

Soul took a corner too fast and his feet slipped out from under him, which was fortunate as the mace arm of his pursuer crushed the wall directly above him a second later. He kicked the Weapon hard in the stomach and started running again. The sharp corners he kept having to take to intercept Maka were slowing him down.

Soul could tell something was wrong with her. She wasn't moving as fast as he knew she could and changed directions at almost every corner. Whenever he used his Maka-Dar, her location would echo back to him followed by another a sharp cacophonous sound that sent a shudder up his spine. It was becoming clear that her end goal wasn't to meet him. It was somewhere else, but he couldn't determine where with all the course changes she was making.

The next time he sent out his wavelength her location echoed back to him, along with two barely audible words, ' _outdoor training.'_ Then a feeling of pain that made his steps falter. He realized two things: that her destination was probably the outdoor training grounds at the back of the school and that the cacophonous noise was pain, her pain. Dammit. He pushed himself faster, pulling away from his pursuer, taking the most direct route to his Meister that he could.

Maka sprinted through the back doors of the DWMA, making a hard left and running for the trees. Soul was en-route and would come through those same doors soon. She needed to keep her pursuer away from them. The plan was to use the trees as cover and loop back to meet Soul at the doors. She was less than 100 feet within the tree line when she realized that she was no longer being chased. Her opponent stood just short of the tree line, positioned between her and the door. This guy was really starting to piss her off; now she would need to get by him to get to Soul.

"Nice," he commented. "I like the strategy. I'm guessing you were hoping to loop around," he called to her. She didn't answer.

Maka move deeper into the trees, watching his unmoving figure the entire time. Taking advantage of her brief respite, she assessed her injuries. Her right shoulder was badly dislocated, the deformation of the joint was clear now. The ribs on her left side throbbed violently, at least one was broken. It was painful to breathe, but her lungs were still working, so at least the lung hadn't collapsed. Her knuckles and chin were split, but they had stopped bleeding. Her legs were peppered with bruises and cuts, the worst being the large abrasion on the exterior of her right thigh from when she'd been thrown the first time. But those were all superficial. It was her shoulder and ribs that needed attention.

She chose to secure her arm as best she could. Being down one arm was infinitely better than being down two. She shrugged off her trench coat and untied the decorative ribbon of her dress from around her waist. Working quickly, she used her good arm and her teeth to wrap the ribbon around herself, forming a makeshift sling, tucking her injured arm into it and tying it as tight as she could. Her right arm was pressed against her side, hand and wrist against her chest. She reversed the empty sleeve of her trench coat so it wouldn't flap around and give her opponent something to grab. Finally, she did up the buttons on the front, further securing her arm. It was as immobilized and out of the way as she could make it. She moved around a bit, to test her work. It would have to do; she was still down an arm, but at least now she had use of the other one. Hopefully, that would be enough.

Where the hell was everyone? She _knew_ BlackStar and Tsubaki were in town. Her Papa, Marie, and Professor Stein were all in town, too. Using her Soul Perception, she located everyone with the exception of Professor Stein in their homes. Didn't they realize what was going on? Was something wrong with them? Had something happened?

She was loathe to admit it, but some backup would be nice. For the time being, it seemed she was on her own.

Maka moved through the shadows, advancing on the waiting Meister. He stood with his back to her, watching the doors. Her Soul Perception told her it wouldn't be long now.

"I guess we wait." Her opponents voice was casual, almost friendly. "We both know you're not going to fight me on your own right now." He was silent as if confirming that that was indeed the case. Looking over his shoulder and right at her through the shadows, he asked, "How's your arm? Broken? I heard something give back there. And how about those ribs, broken or bruised? Both of those are gonna give you trouble, eh?"

"Makes it a fairer fight. I actually prefer it this way." She channelled Black Star, hoping to convey more bravado than she felt. His apparent catalogue of her injuries was concerning, but Soul would be here in moments; it was almost time to make her move.

He laughed at her response, turning back to the door. "You receive full marks for tenacity, that's for sure." His voice darkened as he added, "I won't let him reach you. You should seriously consider giving up." His voice lightened again. "There is no shame in it. You've done well, but you can't do any more in your current condition."

It was time. "You have no idea what I can do!" Was Maka's battle cry as she burst out of the darkness at him. In one motion, he turned and swung at her from the right. She dodged to the left by grinding her heel into his instep, taking advantage of his poorly protected feet. _Who wears sports sandals to a fight?_ He extended his left arm, intent on grabbing her, and she used her smaller size to cut below, landing a solid punch to the pressure point in his armpit. She was rewarded with his cry of pain. Rotating as she moved past him so that she was facing his back, she drove the steel toe of her boot into his achilles tendon before using her good arm to strike him in the kidneys and spine. The strikes brought him to his knees. Maka took the opportunity to kick him in the back of the head as hard as her off balanced position would allow. He crashed into the ground bonelessly.

She leapt backwards repeatedly, moving towards the doorway while, not taking her eyes off her opponent. He'd proven to be deceptive and she wasn't confident that this wasn't another trick. The Soul Tether reverberated and she smiled; she'd timed it perfectly. As she passed the doors, they burst open and without looking, Maka extended her good hand to momentarily feel Soul's grip before it dissolved into the shaft of his Scythe form. She moved back a little farther before standing her ground, holding Soul in a defensive position in front of her.

She wouldn't be able to wield him well with only one functional arm, but if they were together, they would figure something out. They always did.

The Weapon pursuing Soul crashed through the back doors seconds later. The petite woman looked dishevelled. She cast them a cursory glance before racing to her fallen Meister, who was only just now beginning to stir.

The Meister's eyes appeared disoriented as his partner asked him repeatedly if he was alright. He was slow to get to his feet and remained unsteady even once standing. The Weapon, arm in the form of an oversized mace, positioned herself in front of her Meister, glaring murderously at them.

Maka shifted herself into a ready stance. It was unexpectedly awkward to hold Soul with only one functioning arm, so she allowed him to slide through her hand until she gripped him closer to the blade where the balance was better. She could feel his concern flowing through their resonance. The eye of his Scythe form was intently focused on the shoulder of her concealed arm.

 _'It's still there,'_ she teased.

 _'I know that!'_ he grouched, before tentatively asking, 'A _re you sure you're up for this?'_

' _I have to be. Haven't you noticed that no one has shown up even after all this time? Something's going on.'_

' _And those two are involved,'_ he finished for her. ' _OK, let's do this.'_

Maka straightened herself, attempting to project her confidence, trying to portray that she and Soul were stronger and in better fighting condition. Doing her best to hide her injuries and nagging uncertainty in her ability to effectively wield Soul one handed.

She took a deep breath and hid her grimace at the action. "Tell us what's going on! Now!" she demanded.

The Meister cast an appraising look over her. Maka held her ground. "I thought for sure you would run once given the option. Can't you fly away now?" he laughed, "But you would still fight? Are you sure that's your best choice? Your stance is unbalanced. It's giving away how awkward it is for you to wield your traditionally two handed weapon. But I guess you might be doing better if your ribs weren't bruised, or was it broken? You never did answer my question earlier."

Soul's wavelength spiked and an odd mix of anger and concern slipped through their resonance.

"This is nothing," she replied, attempting to sound unaffected. "I told you before, you have no idea what I'm capable of." She shifted herself to attack. There was no need to call for Resonance; instinctively they began to increase their power.

 _'Soul, we need to end this.'_

 _'Couldn't agree more.'_

Their power began to amplify as their Resonance increased. Now that Maka was aware of it, she could feel the Soul Tether pulsing. It seemed to expand and grow stronger, increasing their Resonance Rate. She'd heard teachers and even opponents comment on their above average Resonance over the years. ' _So that's how we do it,'_ she mused, before Soul's annoyed voice cut in.

' _Maka, focus,'_ Soul scolded. ' _Stop making me do all the work,"_ he added in jest.

' _Right!'_ Maka refocused on forming Witch Hunter.

On the other end of the clearing, she watched as the Weapon phased fully into her mace form and the Meister held her in front of himself. Even with the damage Maka had inflicted and his less than steady stance, his great size combined with the oversized mace made them an intimidating duo.

She saw his eyes light in understanding, and he began to laugh loudly. "Witch Hunter?!" he guffawed. "You can barely hold him, do you really think you can wield such a powerful attack with any sort of accuracy or effectiveness?" he taunted. "Sweetheart, I'm impressed. You two really don't give up, do you?"

Maka narrowed her eyes at the man; he was being entirely too relaxed, and she hated to be underestimated. She felt Soul's anger rise up with hers. Maka planted her feet and readied herself. She didn't intend on killing them; as far as she knew they weren't on Kid's List. Maybe they could just singe them a little.

Soul chuckled, ' _Sounds good_.'

She grinned.

She mentally calculated her swing and felt Soul's confidence in her and his reassurance that he would help with the accuracy they needed to pull this off. The Soul Tether pulsed in time with their synchronized heartbeats as they prepared to attack.

As soon as the Witch Hunter sprang to life, Maka started to charge. She was halfway there when she was forced to skid to a halt as a familiar white lab coat blocked her path. Witch hunter fizzled and disappeared.

"That will be satisfactory. I believe we have collected adequate data," Professor Stein flatly remarked, mouth quirking into a detached smile, half-smoked cigarette hanging at an odd angle. "Wouldn't you agree? Bryan? Trina?"

Maka could just see past Stein to her opponents. The Meister grinned and nodded his head mutely.

"Pardon? I couldn't hear you," Stein asked over his shoulder, glasses glinting.

"Yes. We are satisfied," the Weapon, answered as she once again took her human form.

"Excellent," Stein replied, sounding genuinely pleased. He turned to regard Maka and Soul. "Both of you need to be back here tomorrow morning at 8am for the interview. Maka, report to Nygus in the infirmary, she is on her way there to meet you. You are both dismissed."

Maka didn't move, still trying to process the abrupt change of circumstance.

In a flash of light, Soul stood glaring eye to eye with the still smirking Professor Stein, barely contained anger rolling off him in waves. "What the HELL is going on!?" he practically snarled at the older man.

"I would have thought that was obvious." He smiled. "You and Maka just completed the combat component of your Agent Evaluation."


	7. Chapter 7 Clashes, Comfort, and Camarade

So...hi... five months sure can go by quickly...sorry for the wait. Thank you to those folks that reviewed, favorited and/or followed this story even when I hadn't updated it in forever.

Big thank you to Professor Maka for her beta work. If there is anything missed it's probably from after she read through it. That being said sorry for any typos or grammatical errors, I just really wanted to get this posted today.

Reviews, favorites, and/or follows are all greatly appreciated. Especially after all this time.

* * *

Chapter 7 Clashes, Comfort, and Camaraderie

Soul leaned against the wall outside the DWMA infirmary, trying to maintain an air of bored indifference while simultaneously staring down the Weapon and Meister pair seated across from him.

After Stein had announced the completion of the evaluation, Soul and Maka were hastily ushered off to the infirmary, where Nygus and Kim were waiting. Arrangements had been made to ensure they were treated promptly for any injuries sustained during the evaluation.

Maka was quickly assessed to be the worse off of the two of them, with a dislocated shoulder, bruised and broken ribs, a nasty abrasion (that was basically road rash) on her thigh, and a collection of other small wounds. It didn't take long for Nygus to set Maka's shoulder, then Kim went to work healing everything else.

Once Maka settled with Kim treating her wounds, Nygus ushered Soul away to assess him. It seemed the surge of Black Blood had taken care of any major injuries, leaving him with a few scrapes from skidding around corners while trying to intercept Maka. He refused any help from Kim, the minor injuries would heal on their own in a matter of days.

As Kim worked on Maka, he overheard her explaining that her presence was a special arrangement, only occurring because their evaluation was so close to graduation. Couldn't have them looking like hell at the commencement ceremony. With the majority of the graduating class's families coming to Death City, it wouldn't look good have two high profile students looking like they'd been hit by a truck. After all, the DWMA had to maintain its image of a safe place to send your children.

Before Soul was dismissed to the hall, both he and Maka had been told not to discuss the Agent Evaluation with anyone and that the whole situation was considered "classified."

Soul was startled from his thoughts when the Meister across from him stood, extending his hand across the hallway to introduce himself. "Name's Bryan"

Soul noticed with a smirk that the movement caused him to wince. He didn't reciprocate the action, and after a few seconds, Bryan retracted his offered hand and sat back down. He had a badly split cheek, more than a few forming bruises, and was holding an ice pack to the back of his head. Despite such obvious injuries he seemed to have a permanent smile plastered on his face; it didn't even waver when Soul failed to reciprocate the handshake.

"No worries man, I understand. Wasn't a big fan of our evaluators back in the day either. So, how's Maka?" Bryan inquired pleasantly.

"She's fine," Soul responded flatly, not willing discuss anything about Maka with the person who had caused the injuries in the first place.

"Just to clear the air and all that," Bryan had not been deterred by Soul's detached response, "cause I know how Weapons are when it comes to their Meisters." He glanced meaningfully at his own partner, who was glaring murderously at Soul. "I am sorry about all this. Agent Evals are rough. We usually don't do them, not really my thing, but Trina here wanted a chance to square off against the last death scythe."

"Waste of time" she grumbled under her breath, the first thing she'd said since he'd sat down across from them. Soul noted that there were bloody bandages wrapped around her arms and one around her waist. He only remembered cutting her the one time. Hidden inside his pockets, his fists clenched. The Little Demon had been busy while he was trapped in the room.

"Now Trina, you know no Eval. is ever a waste of time. They always reveal something," Bryan chastised lightly. "We've been around long enough to know that."

Soul noted that was probably true. He had never met or seen them before last night, but it was likely they had been with the DWMA for a considerable amount of time. They were both older than they had appeared in the dark. Smile and frown lines were well established on both their faces, and more than a few grey hairs were on their heads. He'd guess they were probably in their fifties It was rare to meet a Meister or Weapon still active past their forties; they must have been incredibly powerful in their prime. They certainly remained formidable even now.

Soul attempted to retain his mask of bored indifference while mentally trying to figure out what had been revealed about them. Stein said that they'd been collecting data. Then again, Stein was _always_ collecting data.

Soul was about to press the issue when Maka stepped out into the hall. The events of the night showed in her torn dress, dirty trench coat, and the blood splatter on her boots. But physically, she looked uninjured, and he felt some tension he hadn't even realized he was carrying ease from his shoulders.

"Our turn?" Bryan asked, standing and trying to move past her and into the infirmary.

"Not yet." Maka stood blocking the door. "I have some questions." Soul could tell from her tone that she was in a bad mood. Probably as tired as he was, maybe more. He moved to stand next to her, using his larger frame to help completely obstruct the doorway.

Bryan looked between the two human roadblocks and to his bandaged weapon, and his previous joviality slipped away, his tone and demeanor taking on a more ominous air. "We can't discuss it. The interview portion is tomorrow and-"

"Yes. I know," Maka snapped, unphased by the change in atmosphere. "In fact, that's all I've been told, so now you are going to tell me something new. Why have we never heard of these Agent Evaluations before?"

Bryan's eyes narrowed and locked onto Maka's. The air got heavy as the two Meisters stared each other down. Soul felt more than he saw Maka prepare to defend herself if necessary, and he took the cue and did the same.

When Bryan spoke again it was slowly, as if he were carefully measuring his words. "I guess as long as it's only general and not directly pertaining to you, it would be alright..." his look slid to his Weapon as if asking for confirmation or maybe permission. She shrugged and sat back down-just like that the tension dissipated and he animatedly launched right in as if nothing had happened with, "Okay so part of the evaluation is to challenge you without you knowing it. That's why they're classified. That way, you believe you're in a life or death situation. The whole point is to determine how you'll react."

"We've been in plenty of life or death situations before. I think it's clear how we react," Soul said coolly.

"Yes!" Bryan grinned. "But, always together. We needed to see how you'd do individually. You guys gave us quite the challenge." He chuckled. "You know, you've basically been within 100 ft of each other for the last three months. The two of you are practically attached at-"

"Bryan!" Tina interrupted, glaring at him.

"Gotcha." He smiled at his partner and gave her a thumbs up before readdressing Maka and Soul. "That really is all I can say, everything else can wait for the interview."

"You've been following us for three months?" Soul asked, feeling his skin crawl. Three months? They had been followed for _three months_ \- so much for privacy. And there was no way he and Maka had always been together for three months. Although, BlackStar and Tsubaki had been out of town. And if they were visiting with Kid, Liz and Patti, they almost always went together. Missions and school were of course done together. Grocery shopping, too. But that wasn't weird. They shared the responsibility of cooking, so they both chose what they bought, that only made sense. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that three months might be a little conservative.

"You guys should head home," Nygus announced from behind them, causing them both to jump. "Sun's coming up and I'm sure you must be tired." She smiled. "Remember, be here at 8am tomorrow."

* * *

The ride home was a quiet one. Maka held onto Soul's jacket as they sedately wound their way through the crisp early morning streets of Death City.

What had started out as another endless endeavor in research had ended in one of the worst nights they'd had in awhile. The fact that they had been essentially under surveillance for three months was just the cherry on top.

The sun was fully up by the time they stumbled into the apartment, mental and physical exhaustion hanging heavily on them. Maka, delayed by removing her boots, lost the race to the bathroom, and glared at Soul's back as he disappeared behind the door, towel in hand.

Oh well, she shrugged, first come first serve had always been the rule post missions. Unless one of them was particularly gross, and to be fair, Soul definitely won the gross award this morning. He'd seemed pretty much fine at the infirmary but the front of his shirt was ripped and caked in dried blood. She couldn't figure out where it had come from. The mace weapon had been cut but not enough to get that much on Soul. It must have been his blood, but she couldn't figure out where it had come from. She would have to ask him what happened later.

Speaking of blood, she eyed her own boots, plucking them from their spot by the door, and took a minute to wash the blood off. She was pretty sure it was her opponent's from when she'd split his cheek, but really it could be hers too. Maka was thankful for Kim's abilities morning, spending the next 4-6 weeks (or more) recuperating was not her idea of a good way to start her time as a DWMA operative. She set her now clean boots in the entryway next to Soul's discarded shoes, straightening his so they were lined up nicely next to each other.

She didn't dare go to her room, unsure if she could resist the siren's song of her bed. Being up all night always made her appreciate her bed but she needed a shower first. She crashed onto the couch to wait for her turn, sure that even if she drifted off she would wake up when Soul emerged.

Maka was awoken by knocking at the door that grew more insistent the more she tried to ignore it. She groaned as she rolled off the couch. For a moment, she became tangled in the blanket that had appeared on her, before she shuffled to the front door. On her way past Soul's door she could hear him snoring and cursed his ability to sleep through basically anything. She didn't hesitate to open the door since she already knew who was on the other side.

Her mama stood in her doorway, impeccably dressed, with perfectly done hair and makeup, Maka's keys in her hand, as if she had been prepared to use them to open the door herself.

"Oh Death! What happened to you!" Her mama cried.

Maka frowned still mostly asleep and not understanding what her mama meant.

"Huh?" was her articulate reply. It was official; she had been spending way too much time with Soul.

Her mama gestured to her practically flailing her arms up and down. "Your dress!?"

"Oh... yeah we had our-" Maka cut herself off remembering that she wasn't supposed to talk about the agent evaluation. "We ended up being sent on a mission last night," she lied.

"Oh? That seems like short notice…" her mama's manner shifted, "and you're back already? Was is local? Does it happen to have anything to do with the public notice to avoid the DWMA last night or the restoration crews working there this morning?" her mama pressed.

"Ummm ye-I'm not sure what you're talking about... did something happen at the academy?" Maka cursed her sleep addled brain; it was letting her down this morning.

"Apparently," her mama replied, a single word heavy with suspicion. "So when did you get home?"

Maka glanced at the clock on the stove before answering. "Less than 2 hours ago."

"So you've been awake all night." It was a statement not a question. "I guess this isn't a good day for shopping."

Guilt twisted in Maka's gut at the disappointed look on her mama's face. "I'm sorry Mama. I totally forgot," Maka groaned, before hastily adding, "We can still go, just let me-."

"Oh no! That's alright sweetie," her mama cut in, "You've had a busy night. How about we go tomorrow instead?"

"We have a meeting tomorrow morning I'm not sure how long it will be," Maka supplied.

"Oh? You have a meeting the day after a mission?" Her mama inquired, suspicion clear in the tone.

"Yeah…" Maka cringed, had she just given it away? So much for it being classified.

If her Mama had figured it out she mercifully allowed it to pass. "We'll go on Thursday then, and get you a new dress while we're at it."

"Oh no, really, it's OK Mama."

"Go back to bed sweetie. You're clearly too tired to think straight if you think that dress is anything close to OK." Her mama moved to give her a hug, hesitating as she looked Maka over once more, then awkwardly gave her a quick peck on the cheek instead. "See you Thursday morning. Good luck in your meeting tomorrow." Her mama winked at her and headed for the door.

Well, that confirmed that her mama had figured it out and that Maka was apparently even grimier looking than she felt. She was so busy berating herself for not being able to better deflect her mama's suspicions that she didn't sense him until it was too late. Her mama opened the door unaware of the horror that was standing on the other side.

Papa, a huge smile plastered on his face, one hand holding a takeout bag and the other hand raised just about to knock. Not registering who was standing in front of him he animatedly launched right in, "Hi Maka Baby! I thought you might be hungry after your-"

"Spirit." Her Mama's voice was barely above a whisper.

Her Papa's happy face morphed into an expression of shock. "Kami?" His voice cracked.

Maka felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. Her heart pounded as an irrational surge of adrenaline flooded her system. She knew this had to happen at some point but, she wasn't at all prepared to deal with it this morning. The silence stretched. It was like the whole apartment was under a spell; no one moved or made a sound.

She couldn't breath. Or was she breathing too much? Can someone breath too much? Why are they just standing there? Do something! Say something! Anyone!

The silence was shattered by Soul forcefully swinging his bedroom door open, the sound echoing through the stillness like a thunderclap.

Her mama jumped and hurriedly moved past her papa, jostling him with her shoulder on the way by. "Excuse me," she mumbled.

Her Papa snapped into action, dropping the takeout bag before he rushed after her not sparing Maka a glance. "Wait!" Maka heard him call.

"No," was her mama's louder than necessary reply.

Her papa had caught up somewhere around the stairway. Maka could hear their voices floating through the still open apartment door, unable to make out what they were saying but the tenor and volume of the conversation was escalating rapidly. Until her papa's angry shout of "Just tell me where you've been!" and her mama's equally irate "It's not important!" were clear as day.

Maka was transported back to when she was nine years old, a silent witness to her parents disintegrating marriage from her hiding place on the stairs of her childhood home. Except, at that time the speakers of those two phrases were reversed. An old nearly forgotten pain twisted in her chest.

Somewhere inside she knew she was being irrational. She wasn't a child anymore, helpless as the life she'd always known crumbled around her. There were no more bombshells to be dropped. Never again would she overhear her Papa's confession of infidelity and experience the earth shattering disillusionment that accompanied it. She had long ago become numb when her mama screamed her hate at him for it. But Death, somehow, she'd forgotten what it felt like when they fought.

Soul striding past startled her back to the present. The apartment was nearly silent as he retrieved the discarded bag of take-out from the hall floor before shutting and locking the door. Her parent's voices dulled to indecipherable noise. Her partner approached cautiously, frowning down at her.

* * *

Maka looked like she was in shock, wide-eyed and jumpy, but her eyes weren't focussing on anything in particular. Carefully he took her hand, guiding her to the couch. "Sit," he directed and Maka obediently complied, rigidly perching herself on the edge of the seat. He eyed her warily; she was freaking him out more than a little.

Picking up the blanket he had put on her earlier that morning from the floor, Soul wrapped it snuggly around her. Maka's rigid posture had just begun to relax marginally when a loud shout from outside the living room window made her jump. A quick glance out the window confirmed that her parent's fight had moved to the street and had somehow managed to increase in volume. A crowd was starting to gather.

Soul sighed, shutting and locking the window before dropping the takeout bag on the table. He selected one of "her movies" off the shelf, a sappy Rom-Com featuring the latest Hollywood heart-throb. It was cheesetastic crap, but he knew she liked it. It was routinely playing when he emerged from his room on Saturday morning. The movie flashed to life on the screen and Soul cranked the volume before there was even sound to increase. With the starting of the movie, her parent's painfully public war outside their building was finally completely drowned out.

Soul tentatively sat down beside her, close enough that his leg just barely brushed hers. Maka remained rigid next to him. Retrieving the take-out bag from the coffee table Soul inspected the contents, three wax paper wrapped breakfast sandwiches labeled; "M", "S", and "P" were stacked up inside. He offered the "M" one to Maka, placing it in her lap when she didn't move to take it. Then he retrieved the "S" one for himself, leaving the "P" sandwich in the bag.

Soul leaned back into the couch propping his feet on the coffee table. Maka remained where she was. With only a moment's indecision and a silent prayer that she wouldn't freak out at him for it, he tentatively put his hand on her shoulder and gently pulled her back onto the couch next to him. After a few minutes, he felt her relax, sinking deeper into the couch, and her bare feet joined his feet on the coffee table.

Maka was the first to begin eating the breakfast her Dad had supplied. Finally comfortable now that he didn't feel like he was sitting next to a coiled spring, Soul unwrapped his breakfast sandwich, noting that it had two sausage patties just how he liked. It was an odd sensation realizing that the Old Man was apparently warming up to him after all these years.

The movie was well underway before Maka spoke. "This has been a really screwed up day."

"And it's not even noon," he added, relieved she was talking again. He waited but when she didn't say anything more he asked, "You ok?"

"Yeah." She sighed. "Just wasn't prepared for...that."

He grunted his agreement. He didn't even remember waking up. His memory begins with trying to get his sleep laden legs under him as he scrambled across his room towards the door, the sense that something was wrong ringing in his soul like a fire alarm.

When Soul had opened his bedroom door, he was already halfway to phasing the blade from his arm. The energy quickly faded when he recognized the situation for what it was. For probably the hundredth time, he cursed her parents for not handling their shit better. They were grown-ass adults, how oblivious could they be? They should have never allowed her to be dragged into their drama.

The divorce was well underway by the time he'd met her. Maka had been mostly resigned to the whole situation but impressively angry with her dad. Prone to picking fights to release her aggression. The first time he'd seen her she'd been fighting an older Meister and Weapon team without a Weapon of her own.

Not that he was completely naive to the effect of her parents divorce on her. Soul didn't need a psych degree to figure that out. Her Mother was placed so high on a pedestal that it's a wonder that she can breath with how thin the air must be up there. Maka's adoration of her mother was to the point that even years of zero contact from her hasn't seemed to affect Maka's perception. Conversely, her Dad, while more than a little unstable and a confirmed cheater, had always been here and available to her. Her Dad loved her more than life itself, even if he had an aggravating way of showing it. This morning, he'd come to check on her after her evaluation under the guise of bringing breakfast.

Even knowing all this, her reaction to this morning was concerning. Angry Maka he could handle; silent Maka was...disturbing.

Soul didn't know how to help her deal with the explosive emotions of her parents. His parents were emotionally constipated, dealing primarily in passive aggression and silence if they were "fighting" with each other. When they were around that was. Soul's early years were primarily a mix of pleasant but proper nannies, rigid private school, exacting music teachers, summers with Gran in France and, of course, Wes.

He was startled from his thoughts by Maka gasping and jumping off the couch.

"I have to go!" she announced.

"What's wrong!" Soul was on his feet in the blink of an eye. He was prepared for a fight, another surprise evaluation, a pre-kishin, a Witch, or maybe her dad was coming back for his discarded share of breakfast. But there was nothing that could have prepared him for what came out of her mouth next.

"I forgot my notes at the library and I left all the books just sitting out on the table!" She looked at him with wide panicked eyes.

He stared at her for a second as his heart rate slowly decreased. "Really?"

"Yes! I'll be back in like an hour," she said, trying to move past him.

"Maka." He didn't move out of her way and she looked up at him. "You. Are. Such. A. Nerd." He grinned.

"I am not," she defended, hands on her hips and voice going a little shrill.

"Yes you are," he stated matter of factly, "Only a nerd would be freaking out about having forgotten to put away books."

"But it's rude to just leave them out. And my notes," her tone was approaching a whine and, to Soul, she resembled a younger version of herself.

"The library has been open for hours, the books have already been dealt with. The librarian knows you. You've exchanged Christmas gifts three years in a row. I'm sure he'll set your notes aside for you. You can go get them and apologize for your grievous transgression tomorrow after the interview." Soul sat back down on the couch.

Maka seemed to contemplate it for a moment, looking between her vacated spot next to him on the couch and the door. With a huff, her stance relaxed and she flopped back down on the couch, crossing her arms and pouting. Actually pouting. He had to suppress a laugh. She had sat back down right next to him again, and he didn't want to risk doing something that would have her moving away from him.

"Maybe I should call," she mumbled.

"Such a nerd," Soul teased and without thinking he put his arm around her and gave her a squeeze, tensing for just a second when he realized what he had unconsciously done.

She didn't seem to mind. "Shut up, Soul." She jabbed him with her elbow in his unguarded ribs.

They settled into finish the movie. Soul had to admit the story was kind of entertaining. Predictable, but still fun. The whole thing topped off with the classic misunderstanding leading to the rush to intercept the other person at the airport.

The feeling of Maka's head against his shoulder brought his attention back to her.

Her face was relaxed, breathing steady and deep; she'd fallen asleep against him, still in her tattered blood stained dress. He considered waking her, to see if she would like to shower before going back to sleep for the day. But he just couldn't bring himself to do it. She looked so peaceful and it was nice to have her next to him like this, particularly after the crappy night they'd had.

They hadn't done well. Stein and Nygus had been neutral in how they spoke to them but Soul could see through that. Despite training so hard over the years to counter an enemy's ability to isolate them, they'd allowed themselves to be separated. Had it been a real fight it would have nearly gotten him killed, and it had forced him to use the blackblood. Worse than that, Maka had gotten seriously injured too, more so than she had in a long time. Sure, she was good as new now, but that didn't change the fact that it HAD happened.

Broken and bruised ribs weren't anything new. But her shoulder, that had never happened before. Soul could have happily gone his whole life without the experience of sitting behind Maka to help support her as Nygus moved her shoulder back into place. He was pretty sure the sound of her bones moving against each other and her pained whimper were permanently seared into his brain.

A dislocated shoulder was considered a critical injury for a scythe meister. Early in training, before they'd even gone on their first mission, the importance of her maintaining use of both her arms had been drilled into them. A scythe was not a weapon that could be effectively wielded with one hand. Losing the use of an arm warranted immediate withdrawal from the fight, if at all possible.

Maka knew this as well as he did but she hadn't wanted to withdraw. He knew she wouldn't; Maka would always fight until she couldn't fight anymore. Long ago he'd come to accept that part of his role as her partner was to support her in her stubborn tenacity while keeping her from getting killed, whether it was through using the blackblood or other means.

That was the other problem of the night. The blackblood, the demon, it was so wrong. Granted he hadn't used it since the moon, and had never intentionally activated it without Maka. Was the room different because it lacked her influence? Even so, why hadn't he needed to play the piano? Could that piano even be played? And why had he been alone? Even when the demon had forcefully assumed control in Moscow he had still been there, pulling the string from inside the room. But this time he'd surrendered control and Stein had witnessed it all.

He needed to figure this out.

Maka shifted against him and he looked down at her. He could talk to her about it; she'd always had an uncanny ability to understand and use the blackblood. But Maka had enough on her plate as it was, with the interview tomorrow, and graduation on Saturday. Not to mention the return of her mother and the apparent shit storm that had unleashed onto Maka's life. No, he wouldn't burden her with his problems.

He could figure this out on his own. It might have appeared different but it was still the same blackblood and the same Little Demon. He just needed to downplay it for the time being. Keep himself from becoming Stein's lab rat. Then, if he couldn't figure it out on his own, he would tell her once they received their Agent posting. They could work on it together once things had settled down again and once he was far from the DWMA's resident mad scientist.

Decision made, Soul settled in to sleep on the couch. He slouched down slightly in an attempt to get more comfortable but froze when the movement caused Maka to stir. He worried for a moment that he'd managed to wake her after all. His concern was unwarranted; her next action proved that she was definitely still asleep. Maka turned slightly and curled into him, stretching her arm across his stomach and bending her bare leg up to rest on his thigh. Her head settled on his chest just above his heart before she let out a soft sigh and relaxed against him once again.

Soul was thankful she was asleep because his face felt like it was on fire. He reminded himself to breath. Sure, they'd fallen asleep on the couch together before but never in such an intimate position. She was practically wrapped around him and he prayed that when she discovered their position upon waking that she didn't Maka-chop him through the floor. This was all her-he shouldn't have to take the blame for it.

To save his skull he contemplated moving her… Nah, he'd take the chance. She was warm and somehow fit perfectly next to him and the whole situation was making him drowsy. He took the opportunity to rest his cheek on her head, content. He'd like to say she smelled nice but she smelled like sweat, dirt, and very faintly of blood. It didn't really bother him though. It's who she was and who he'd been since she asked him to be her Weapon all those years ago, and he wouldn't change that for anything. Without hesitation, he pulled her just a little bit closer.

* * *

The sound of soft snores rumbled under her ear. Maka was slow to come back to consciousness; she was warm and comfortable and content right where she was. His heart thumped out a calm beat under her ear, the rise and fall of his chest was rhythmic only occasionally punctuated by a snore. She idly stroked something soft under her fingertips, and his arm around her tightened in response. A lazy smile formed on her face and she cracked her eyes open. Her hand disappearing between the buttons of his shirt is the first thing she saw. She could feel the fine chest hairs hidden there and _how had she never noticed that before?_

Maka froze, finally awake enough to recognize her situation. Fully wrapped around Soul, she was practically halfway on top of him. _Oh Death_ her hand had slipped between the buttons of his shirt and was directly against his chest.

When did this happen? _How_ did this happen? Okay, so she was sitting pretty close to him during the movie but not _this_. This, she must have done in her sleep. She had to create some space before he woke up and realized what she'd done. He'd label her a pervert, or something, for taking advantage of him while he slept. There was no way he'd been awake when she'd done...this. He would have dumped her on the floor for invading his space to this extent.

First, she delicately removed her hand from his shirt, the most heinous of her offenses. Then, she carefully lifted her leg off of his before tackling the trickiest aspect. She reached for one of the pillows they kept on the couch and in one slow, fluid movement, she removed herself from under Soul's arm and put the pillow in her place. His breathing remained rhythmic, and she was thankful for his ability to sleep through almost anything.

Maka took a moment to admire him, his features relaxed in sleep. A pang of sadness ran through her that she couldn't remain with him on that couch. But once again, her parents had provided her a fine example of why that wasn't a possibility.

Even if he was interested, which he wasn't.

Deciding that she'd been in this ruined dress long enough, Maka headed for the bathroom to shower. She stripped off the dress and deposited it in the bathroom garbage can, taking one last look at it. She'd really liked that dress too, but it wasn't the first piece of clothing to be sacrificed in the name of victory, and undoubtedly would not be the last.

Stepping into the shower, her mood shifted from melancholy to annoyance as she recalled the morning's events. She scrubbed herself clean, taking out some of her frustration on her skin and scalp.

Why did her Papa have to choose right then to show up with breakfast? Although it was kind of nice that he had. But then why did he have to chase her mama down the hall? What was wrong with both of them for having a huge argument right outside her home, didn't they realize she had to live here? By now, the entirety of

Death City would have heard about it.

How could two people that had once been so in sync end up like that?

* * *

Finally clean and dressed in comfortable clothes to wear around the house, Maka checked the fridge trying to figure out what to make for dinner for herself and her still-sleeping partner. She was considering fettuccine alfredo, Soul was a sucker for pasta, but was disappointed to find the carton of cream was empty. That's weird, she'd just bought it yesterday, she hadn't drank it, and while Soul used it in his morning coffee, he couldn't have used that much in less than two days. The only time they went through milk that fast was when Blair was around.

Maka realized with a start that Blair must have come by last night when they weren't home. Maka hadn't seen much of Blair recently, which was kind of sad because they would be leaving soon and she had wanted to ask if Blair had planned to come with them. Hopefully, Blair would decide to come by again so that Maka could ask her.

Maka had just closed the fridge and was contemplating the pizza in the freezer when there were simultaneous knocks at the front door and the living room window of their third story apartment. BlackStar grinned at her through the glass holding a six pack of beer in each hand. Maka purposely choose to answer the front door for Tsubaki first, leaving him to balance on the two inch window frame for a little longer.

"Hi, Maka. We heard you two have had a bad day and thought we would come to cheer you up." Tsubaki greeted her with her usual pleasantness and handed her the stack of four extra large pizzas.

"Wow! Thanks, Tsubaki," Maka replied, balancing the pizza's, "But how did you hear?"

BlackStar answered her question from the living room, "All of Death City heard. How's your Mom doing anyways?" He had apparently managed to jimmy the lock on the window. BlackStar was currently advancing on the still miraculously sleeping Soul, the beer he'd been holding discarded on the floor only to be replaced with a permanent marker.

"Hey!" Maka snapped before adding a little more quietly, "We have an important meeting tomorrow and I will not have my Weapon showing up with a penis drawn on his forehead like at midterm exams."

"Oh, you mean the Interview for the Agent Eval? That's a piece of cake, no big deal," BlackStar dismissed but he did put the marker back in his pocket. Shifting his attention to the pillow under Soul's arm, BlackStar began to poke and pull at it as if he were testing a Jenga piece.

Satisfied that her partner was safe for the moment, Maka retrieved the beer from the floor, noting that is was thankfully still cold as she put it in the fridge before something dawned on her, "Wait how do you know about the interview?"

"A Bushin knows everything to do with his subjects," was BlackStars immediately response from the living room.

"Professor Stein had to tell us so that he wouldn't get involved," Tsubaki explained, retrieving dishes from the cupboard like she lived there. "We had our Agent evaluation last month while we were in the Norway."

"Oh. How did it go?" Maka asked Tsubaki, momentarily forgetting that if it was classified for her and Soul it was no doubt classified for everyone. But before she could retract the question, BlackStar spoke up.

"Excellent of course," BlackStar called from around the corner, "goes without saying for me but Tsubaki rocked her portion of it too." His declaration caused Tsubaki to blush.

"Well, I did my best," Tsubaki responded humbly, retrieving a couple beers from the fridge. She handed a can to Maka before offering one to BlackStar. When BlackStar didn't immediately respond, Maka knew something was up.

Maka peaked around the corner to the living room to see what he was up to. She couldn't contain her gasp, BlackStar had removed the pillow from under Soul's arm and had replaced it with himself. He was curled into Soul in a very similar manner that Maka had been when she awoke, not that BlackStar is aware of that fact.

"BlackStar, what are you doing!" she whispered harshly. He shushed her and grinned evilly. It was about the time that Tsubaki joined her that Soul finally began to stir. Grumbling something before, he opened his eyes directly onto BlackStar's upturned face.

"Hello, Lover," BlackStar purred before he puckered his lips made obnoxiously moist kissy noises as he advanced on Soul.

Soul's eyes bugged out and he scrambled backwards trying unsuccessfully to escape the assassin. He was groping blindly behind him for leverage to propel himself off the couch when Maka saw her opportunity and supplied him with something much better. She pressed her massive "History of the Soul" textbook into Soul's hand. He promptly brought it down on BlackStar's head, Maka Chop style, halting the assassins advances and buying himself enough time to extract himself from between BlackStar and the couch.

"Thanks," Soul breathed, shooting Maka an appreciative glance.

"You're Welcome," she chimed, handing him her already open but otherwise untouched beer. The look she received in return caused something in her chest to tighten and had her scrambling to the fridge, under the guise of getting another beer for herself, in order to hide her blush.

* * *

The sky was lit up in pinks and purples around the setting sun as the friends sat on the roof of Soul and Maka's apartment building. Empty pizza boxes sat between them as they finished off the last of the beers.

"It's time to confess to your god," BlackStar loudly declared out of the blue.

"Huh?" was Soul's response.

"I have no idea what you're talking about BlackStar," Maka replied.

Even Tsubaki looked confused.

"How'd your evaluation go," BlackStar clarified. "How many guys did they send after you, Maka? What kind of Weapons?"

"It's supposed to be classified," Maka bluntly replied.

"Only to keep the runts from seeing it coming," BlackStar countered, undeterred.

"We all know about it so, spill."

"He's been dying to talk about his with you guys," Tsubaki explained.

Soul could see that Maka wasn't comfortable talking about their evaluation. While she wasn't always strictly by the rules, she at least tried to adhere to them. "So how much ass did you kick during your Eval," Soul interjected. Maka redirected her disapproving stare from BlackStar to him.

"What?" he shrugged. "Listening to him it's not us breaking the rules."

If Maka objected it was already too late anyway.

BlackStar spent the next thirty minutes loudly regaling them about his own Agent Evaluation, despite Maka's repeated attempts to get him to keep his voice down because it was bad enough he was telling them.

They had sent a whole squadron after him, Meisters and Weapons and, in the end, Stein had to step in bringing the evaluation to an end early as there were concerns that someone (not BlackStar) might actually be killed.

Tsubaki's evaluation had been somewhat less eventful. She'd been pitted against a retired death scythe from the Philippines. She had done well, but it had been closer to a draw than BlackStar's decisive victory. Not that BlackStar cared; he went on and on about how awesome she had been and that she had gone against a death scythe so a draw was only reasonable and that he was sure that she held back.

Once BlackStar, finished Maka excused herself saying that she wanted to go down and get organized for the morning. Although Soul couldn't think of what could require organizing, he accepted when she wordlessly handed him her nearly full can of beer before heading downstairs with Tsubaki following behind to help carry the empty beer cans and pizza boxes down.

This left Soul and BlackStar alone together on the roof.

"Hey, I have a question about your sister," Soul joked. He really did have something he wanted to ask BlackStar but he couldn't pass up the chance to bug him a little. The whole sister thing was uncharacteristically sappy for his friend.

BlackStar tinged pink. "Should have known she'd tell you. You two have like zero secrets."

Soul's light hearted mood darkened slightly as he tried to ignore the twinge of guilt that took hold with that statement. He would tell her about the changes in the blackblood, eventually.

"So what do you want to know?" BlackStar prompted.

"What's with her parents?" Soul asked, thinking of the scene they had caused in front of the apartment.

"You're going to have to be WAY more specific, Bro." BlackStar grinned at him.

"They were in the same room for like a minute this morning and they began fighting, in our building and on the street," Soul clarified.

"Yeah, they've always been like that," BlackStar responded without hesitation.

"Okay, Maka said right before the divorce they-" Soul started but was cut off.

"No dude, _always_. Like for as long as I've known her they'd fight at least once a week, sometimes more. I'm surprised they stuck it out as long as they did. Probably should have called it when she was like six."

"Seriously? For that long?" Soul asked. That was news to him. Maka didn't talk much about her childhood, but he had always thought that prior to the cheating and the general disintegration of the marriage that her parents had been happy.

"Yeah." BlackStar shrugged. "She used to climb out her bedroom window and come hide out at the DWMA with me. She was able to run across rooftops way before she joined the academy."

"I guess that explains her reaction." Soul thought back to her standing frozen in their kitchen and the near hour of silence that followed.

"She go all quiet on ya?" BlackStar asked.

"Yeah." Soul sighed.

"Fucked up, right?" BlackStar folded his arms under head lying back.

"Really fucked up," Soul confirmed.

They lapsed into silence until BlackStar broke it in his usual blunt fashion. "Sooo have you seen her naked yet?" He grinned mischievously at Soul.

"Hey! That's your sister you're talking about!" Soul deflected. He hoped he wasn't nearly as red as he felt; blushing was not cool.

"Yeah… and if you were any other guy, I would probably throw you off the roof." BlackStars tone was pleasant enough but Soul didn't need soul perception to feel the spike in BlackStar's wavelength and the instinctive recoil of his own at those words. But as quickly as it had come, it went and BlackStar added much more jovially, "But you're all gross and pathetic in love with her. So I'll give you a pass."

"Hey! I never said that!" Soul denied. How he felt about Maka was not something he had discussed with _anyone_. Not even his best friend.

BlackStar laughed obnoxiously. "As if you _had_ to. Come on man, it's been obvious since you were like fifteen."

Shit, was he that obvious? Soul wasn't sure he was even aware he was in love with her back then. Suddenly his stress over if BlackStar and Maka were dating seemed stupid. BlackStar could be egotistical and obnoxious, but he was loyal and a strong believer in the bro-code. Still, that raised a more important question- if BlackStar had figured it out, who else had? Soul started replaying conversations with classmates and members of the now dissolved Spartoi trying to look for hints that they had figured it out too. If _they_ had, what about Maka?

In the back of his mind, the Little Demon chuckled.

If Maka had figured it out he considered himself lucky that she hadn't freaked out about it….but _if_ she knew and had no reaction what did that mean? Did she not feel the same way about him? Was she just pitying him? Staying out of obligation?

The Little Demon laughed harder, ' _You are so path-'_

The demon was interrupted by BlackStar painfully 'patting' Soul on the back in a move that was no doubt intended to be comforting. Soul was sure he would have a bruise by morning. "I'll take that as a no then." BlackStar sighed, looking disappointed. "Come on man, make your move already," BlackStar prodded.

"Yeah sure, with the train wreck of her parent's marriage in her face right now. I'm sure that would go really well," Soul dismissed trying to sound more nonchalant about it than he felt.

"You gotta ball up man." BlackStar punctuated his words with another bruising clap to Soul's back.

Soul winced, "Yeah. Yeah. Maybe once we're posted and she's away from both her crazy parents," Soul responded hoping his answer would appease his apparently perceptive friend. "I can wait. I don't want to rush her," Soul added.

BlackStar kicked his legs, launching himself from his lying position onto his feet. "And _that's_ why I haven't thrown you off the roof." He gave Soul a thumbs up and a wink.

* * *

"Do you think it's weird that apparently Soul and I have been constantly together for the last three months," Maka asked tentatively as she rinsed the beer cans and put them aside for recycling. She didn't really have anything to organize for the morning; she had just hoped to get a chance to talk to Tsubaki alone and her friend had thankfully realized this and accompanied her down to the apartment.

"Only three months this time?" Tsubaki cheekily replied.

"Hey!" Maka scowled hoping to hide the blush she felt.

"Sorry, Maka." Tsubaki smiled at her while collapsing pizza boxes. "But the only time you two aren't together is when he goes to play basketball with BlackStar and can't convince you to come with. Or when _we_ go off to do something together."

"Nevermind," Maka mumbled because Tsubaki was absolutely right.

"I don't think it's weird though.," Tsubaki hurried to add, "You two have always spent a lot of time with each other. It would be weird if you weren't always together."

"But you and BlackStar aren't always together. You were shopping on your own during the agent eval. They had to put out a public notice and forcefully separate us at the school to get us on our own. "

Tsubaki laughed. "I'm sure that must have been-" Tsubaki cut herself off, her face turning to the ceiling, looking up towards the roof.

Maka was in a similar position having also sensed the spike in BlackStar's wavelength followed by Souls wavelength curling in on itself momentarily before they both returned to normal.

Tsubaki hummed thoughtfully still looking up. "What do you think they are up to?"

"I don't know," Maka responded narrowing her eyes, her soul perception activating to examine the two souls on the roof, "but it seems fine now." she added.

"So if you two are always together are you 'Together' yet?"

Maka's attention snapped back to Tsubaki who was smiling mischievously at her.

"No!"

Tsubaki's face fell. "I didn't think so," she sighed. "Why not Maka?"

"Maybe because he doesn't feel _that_ way about me!" No matter how many times she said it to herself it never hurt as much as saying it outloud to someone else. "And even if he did, relationships with a partner aren't a good idea," she reiterated to strengthened her resolve.

"I don't know... seems to be going pretty well for Stein and Marie," Tsubaki offered up.

"Yeah in their late 30s and after one of them nearly lost it to madness," Maka dismissed.

"Well you and Soul have one of those things," Tsubaki countered.

"Soul is not Stein." Maka laughed. "Thank death for that."

"Who says I think Stein is Soul in that comparison?" Tsubaki grinned.

"Hey!" Maka reeled from the insinuation. She was nothing like Professor Stein. Okay maybe they were both Scythe Meisters and had similar skills such as soul perception and could be overly focused on their goals but that did not mean she was _anything_ like him.

"I've read the report from the anniversary night….." Tsubaki stated like a detective might drop the bomb that they found the murder weapon during an interrogation.

The insinuation hung in the air for a moment while Maka processed Tsubaki's words. Maka's eyes widened when she realized what Tsubaki meant. "Ohh you didn't," Maka groaned.

"I did" She smiled brightly as if she didn't have the dirt on one of Maka's most embarrassing moments. "Did you really gnaw on Crona's head?"

Maka dragged her hand down her face, "Please! Don't tell anyone. It's so embarrassing. How did you get that report anyway?" Maka narrowed her eyes at her friend, assessing her reaction.

"I was handing in a report at the records office and there was a man looking through a bunch of files, on his way out he dropped one. I was going to pick it up and give it to him but then I saw it was yours sooo..." she answered innocently as if she hadn't just casually decided to look through classified records.

"So you snooped," Maka deadpanned.

Tsubaki blushed, finally showing a hint of guilt.

"You know you're really not as good as you portray yourself to be," Maka teased.

"What are you talking about, Tsubaki is the best!" BlackStar loudly announced, barging through the door of their apartment while throwing an arm around Tsubaki, having just that second returned from the roof with Soul.

"So what were you ladies talking about?" BlackStar purred as if they must have been discussing something scandalous.

"Oh nothing," Tsubaki deflected. "Just girl talk." She silently mouthed to Maka, 'I didn't tell him' before saying a little too loudly, "We should probably get going. Good luck at your interview tomorrow."

Maka and Soul watched as Tsubaki maneuvered BlackStar, who was still draped around her shoulder, out the front door.

Maka frowned. Maybe she should have asked Tsubaki if she and BlackStar were together.

"So… interesting day…" Soul offered up as he closed the door behind their friends.

"Yeah," Maka sighed. "After today, the interview tomorrow will be..." she paused to think how BlackStar put it.

"A piece of cake," Soul finished for her. He grinned at her and that feeling in her chest was back. The look in his eyes conveyed his utter confidence in her and instead of shying away, she returned his look, hoping that she was able to convey her own boundless confidence in him.

* * *

Author's Note:

Just a word on the underaged drinking in this chapter. First, many(most?) teenagers drink regardless of laws and legal drinking age. Second, the Soul Eater Universe is not our universe, so who's to say what the laws are surrounding the legal age for the consumption of alcohol. Soul has a motorcycle by age 14 so clearly there is some variation. Third, members of the EAT class are basically child soldiers so if you want to take issue with teenagers doing things that are not exactly age appropriate how about we start with THAT.

Realistically, I will try for monthly updates. Chapter 8 is already well underway, so I will try to have it out the first week of October.


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